


Where There is a Sunset, There Will Be a Sunrise

by Rosasharn



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Jedi Culture & Tradition (Star Wars), M/M, Post-Season/Series 02, let Grogu have gay dads
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-14 03:14:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 28,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28788531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosasharn/pseuds/Rosasharn
Summary: After taking Grogu from the hands of the Mandalorian, Luke sets out to teach him the ways of the Jedi. Luke, however, has never done this before, and the struggles he runs into seem to always revolve around the mysterious Mandalorian. Perhaps things would be easier if he had some help?
Relationships: Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker
Comments: 71
Kudos: 327





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hellooo! If you're reading this I love you and you have great taste, because this pairing is SEVERELY underrated. Like seriously, Grogu with two powerful, gay dads? Immaculate. I'm obsessed.
> 
> Anyways, I'm writing this because the lack of fics for this pairing makes me sad and I want more. I love Star Wars, but I am by no means well versed in the lore. I'm going to try my best and do research, but please bear with me and help me out if I make a mistake, okay?
> 
> Lastly, please let me know if you want more of this, this first chapter is going to be kind of short because I'm just trying to see if anyone's interested!

Luke cradled the child beneath his arm and moved with deliberation back to his x-wing. His cape billowed behind him as he stepped over the smoking bodies of the Dark Troopers he had massacred with ease. A weary smile touched his lips at the reminder of battle, he had kind of missed getting to flex his skills like that. There was nothing better than a challenge.

“R2, ready the ship. Let’s get out of here,” he said, settling into the pilot’s seat and placing Grogu down next to him. The child was not very talkative, but he did say one thing.

_‘Miss him’_

Luke thought that over, assuming that more than likely he was talking about the Mandalorian who had been taking care of him. The look on the other’s face when Luke had taken Grogu had been grim, and Luke was surprised to have seen it. To everyone else in the room, he was just a mop of dark hair from the back, but Luke had been right there, behind the child, and he had seen it all. The two of them must have a close relationship, and Luke wondered about the implications that would have for their training.

Grogu would be his first student. Luke took a shaky breath and drove the thought from his mind as he brought the ship into the air and piloted it out into space. He realized reluctantly that he had no idea where to go, or what to do. He had told Han and Leia he would be gone for a while so that he could be alone to work with the child. R2-D2 clicked at him as they flew, awaiting direction. Then, an idea struck Luke that felt like it had been guided into his mind. He scrunched up his face, then sighed, because he was not going to ignore such a clear message.

“R2, set the coordinates for Dagobah,” he said. R2 responded with a series of whistles. “Yeah, I know. I said we would never go back, but I’m changing my mind. Trust me on this one.” R2 beeped at him and input the coordinates.

When Luke looked over again, Grogu was on the move, reaching forward for the controls.

_‘Buttons’_

His tiny hands grasped at the shiny control panel with a childlike fixation. Luke smiled adoringly at him, already being drawn in by his cuteness.

“What are you doing, little one?” He asked, fondness present in his tone. Grogu made a small noise and Luke pulled him onto his lap. The kid squeaked in protest and tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but Luke just laughed and held on tight.

“You can’t touch those!” He said, shaking his head. “You don’t know how to fly yet.”

_‘Push buttons’_

“No,” Luke said firmly. “No push buttons.” He reached down and initiated the leap into hyperdrive. Grogu made a small gasping noise and shifted in his arms.

“I’m allowed to push buttons, Grogu, I’m an excellent pilot. Right R2?” The ship made the jump into light-speed and the stars blurred around them. Grogu was ignoring him now, but R2 gave him an encouraging chirp.

Luke ran a hand through his hair and examined the aches in his body. He was tired from the battle and his muscles were a little tight with the exertion, but nothing too bad. Really the droids hadn’t even gotten close enough to do any damage to him. He put his arms behind his head and leaned back, grinning to himself. It was the best kind of soreness in the world.

He closed his eyes and calmed his mind, clearing his thoughts, then meditated until he fell asleep.

-

“You know what, Grogu?” Luke asked. Grogu tilted his head at him and his ears twitched. “This could be fun. I mean, it’ll be hard work as well, but who’s to say we can’t also make it fun? There’s no one to stop me from changing things.” The joke died in Luke’s throat and he sighed heavily. The sentiment hit him hard when it was said out loud. He was one of the last few Jedi, and the pressure to keep their way of life from the brink of extinction haunted him. It was nothing to joke about, and he felt sick even admitting to want to change their doctrines.

Grogu sensed his shift in demeanor and cooed softly to him, reaching his hands up. Luke smiled hesitantly and lifted him up so that he could play with his hair and press his small hands against Luke’s face. Luke giggled and cringed his face away, but reluctantly let Grogu assault him.

_‘Squishy’_

Luke frowned playfully. “‘M not squishy,” he grumbled. It was like he’d never touched a face before. He set Grogu down beside him, pretending not to hear his gurgled protests. They were entering the Dagobah system and R2 whistled loudly at him.

“Got it! Preparing for landing.” He focused in on the planet and the ship began descending towards it. “Hold on kid, this could get rough.”

The closer they got, the more the x-wing shuddered and jerked in the air. They couldn’t see anything from the thick fog, and somehow it never got any easier, even though he had done this twice before. Suddenly the mist parted and gnarled trees, vines, and thick brush obscured the view instead.

“Shit,” Luke said, holding the controls tightly. He pulled back against the resistance and attempted to land smoothly along the swamp floor. The x-wing skittered across the ground a few times before slamming into a tree trunk and lodging itself into the curls of greenery. Luke considered it a win so long as it wasn’t sinking to the bottom of a river this time.

Grogu squeaked at him and wobbled in the chair.

“Yeah, I know, but it’s not easy, okay? This place is awful for landing, but…” he paused and opened the top with a whoosh. The thick, warm air surrounded him, feeling wet on his exposed skin. “It’s perfect for a Jedi.”

The planet felt weirdly comforting to come back to, even though it looked terrifying. The force was so strong here Luke could feel it thrumming in him, he felt like his abilities had doubled just from being here, and to prove it he held out a hand and the x-wing shifted backwards easily in his grasp. He laughed loud and delighted.

R2 released from the ship and puttered to the ground, sending a long series of whistles and clacks in Luke’s direction. Luke saw Grogu’s head peaking out from the cockpit and stepped forward to help him out. He tucked Grogu under his arm and grabbed his things. He turned, carrying his few items and walked through the thicket, pushing vines back with a flick of his fingers. Eventually he came across what he was looking for.

Staring at the small home Yoda had lived in during his years of hiding, a thought occurred to Luke. Maybe there would be people to guide him. A grin spread across his face as he realized what a great idea this had been. He didn’t know if Obi-Wan or Yoda would show themselves, but he figured it would probably be the best chance he had at helping the kid. The idea of Grogu meeting another of his kind was exciting.

The place was badly grown over and dark, looking like the planet had tried to take it back. For a moment Luke thought about when he had come here before, and the way the windows had glowed against the dreary landscape. Now it was just as cold looking as everything around it. Luke set his jaw and walked up to it. He set Grogu on the ground and cleared the shrubbery that had grown across the front, then gently pushed the door open. Grogu scurried past him into the dark room before he could stop him, but neither of them sensed any danger.

R2 beeped a couple times behind him. Luke followed the child in, reaching for his lightsaber and clicking it on. It burst to life, humming as he swung it slowly across the room. It gave off a little light so that he could see where he was going. He ducked low, the ceiling far too short for him, and moved in deeper. He couldn’t see the child anymore, but he found the kitchen and the stove. He crept closer and touched his lightsaber to the base of the stove, where all the kindling was, and it lit easily.

The place shimmered in the glow of the fire and Luke quickly lit the rest of the lanterns in the place. Grogu was seated on the counter near what was meant to be the kitchen. Luke’s back was beginning to hurt from bending over, the place was clearly not meant for someone of his height, so he shuffled over to the kid and sat down. He idly wondered if Yoda would mind if he made some renovations to his old home. He suspected not.

“Well, we’re here,” he said to Grogu. Grogu made a noise and waddled closer to him, nuzzling up against his leg. “Feel any different, kid?” Grogu tilted his head to the side.

_‘Where here?’_

_‘Dagobah’_ Luke said, conversing with him through the force. It was easy here, like barely an extension of his mind. All of Grogu’s words came to him clearly and he understood that he must feel it too.

_‘What’s that?’_

_‘It’s where we are.’_

Grogu huffed and wiggled in place. Luke leaned his head back against the wall and put a hand gently on Grogu’s head, petting him affectionately.

 _‘Miss him’_ he said again. Luke breathed a sigh. He figured that longing was going to take a long time to fade away. A Jedi was not supposed to have attachments, that was always the lesson Luke had the hardest time accepting. Perhaps it’s a family thing, he thought.

Would he force the child to forget his father just to learn the ways of the Jedi? He looked away from Grogu, his mind clouding in doubt. No one should have to grow up like that, with no father when he was right there and loved him just as much. No, he decided. He would not separate Grogu from the Mandalorian. He knew personally how much that connection meant, and he would not allow it to be taken from Grogu the way it had been taken from him.

Surely attachments could not be only useful for the Sith.

-

Luke didn’t know where to start with the training. For him it had been easy. Obi-Wan had trained others before him and had started straight out with the lightsaber. Granted, he had never really had a traditional training, nor had he ever seen anyone trained in the normal way. Luke groaned and pulled on his blonde hair at the root.

He wasn’t going to hand his lightsaber over to a child, so he figured that it would be best to start with the force. That was the most logical thing, anyways, since the kid already had a basic understanding of it. He took Grogu to the open area where he had been trained himself.

He stopped for a moment to take it in, the images of Yoda circling him and poking-fun at him and his lousy first attempts at using the force flickered before him. Memories rushed back to him, and he smiled despite the tears welling up in his eyes. He had lost so much there was little time to think about it all, but when he was faced with the absence outright, it hurt his heart. He breathed in and out deeply, closed his eyes, and centered himself. He let the grief flow out of him.

Yoda was not truly gone, anyways. When he opened his eyes again Grogu was watching him curiously. He wobbled over to Luke’s leg and pulled on his black tunic. Luke smiled down at him comfortingly.

_‘Hurt?’_

_‘No, Grogu. This place is dear to me.’_

_‘Why sad, then?’_

_‘I’m not sad. I’m remembering. With time, even good memories can be painful. This is why we must learn to let them go.’_

Grogu’s ear twitched and he blinked up at Luke. Luke could feel him trying to make sense of what he was telling him.

‘ _In time, you will understand,’_ Luke said. “Now then, I believe it would benefit the both of us to meditate right now.”

Luke walked into the space and sat cross-legged on the ground. Grogu joined him, sitting directly across from him a few paces away.

“Meditation is a key component of being a Jedi. If we can learn to clear our minds and find an inner balance, the force will come easier to us and we will have a firm foundation against the dark side.” Grogu tilted his head. “The dark side thrives on chaos and impulsivity, so when we focus in and allow ourselves to really _feel_ the force around us, we are doing the opposite. Meditation is about releasing ourselves from our minds and becoming one with the force.”

“Close your eyes,” Luke said. Grogu did so, eyelids coming down to cover his wide eyes. “Now breathe deeply and on each breath out let something go, until your mind is blank. Feel the force around you. It courses through you and me and everything around us. Feel it flowing.”

Grogu twitched at his words, but gradually began to settle into it. Luke watched him for a second longer, then closed his eyes and went through the process himself.

It wasn’t long before Grogu was distracted, Luke could feel his presence tugging at his mind. He opened his eyes again and bit his lip. Grogu was in fact looking around again, patting the ground and making small noises.

“Grogu.” The kid’s attention snapped to Luke’s face. “Focus. Try again.” Luke stared him down until finally he squeaked and closed his eyes again. Meditating was a difficult thing for any kid to master, and he knew it would likely take a while before he could coerce Grogu into anything longer than a few minutes.

Only a minute later Luke realized just how right he was. Grogu was already stumbling around chasing a grasshopper. Luke shook his head and laughed. They would work on it, but for now, he let him be a kid.

-

The day passed slowly and with little progress. Luke willed himself to be patient and release all of the doubt he held in himself. He was doing fine, he told himself, this was never going to be easy.

He pulled out one of those stupid packaged meals for long flights and ate it cold, too tired and in his head to thinking about heating it up. It was bland and slimy, but he ate it anyways. He was leaned up against the outside of the hut while Grogu caught and devoured frogs in the area. R2 beeped softly at him from his side and he turned to look at him with a gentle smile.

“I’m alright, R2. Just thinking, you know?” R2 whined. “No, I’m just worried I’m not doing this right.” R2 made a series of high pitched tones. “Thanks, bud.”

Grogu wandered closer to him, a frog leg hanging from his mouth. Luke made a noise of displeasure and scrunched up his nose as the kid swallowed the last bit. The child put a hand on his knee and stared at him. Luke thought he might say something, but he didn’t.

“We’ll try again tomorrow,” he said, not aiming his words anywhere in particular. Part of him wondered why neither Obi-Wan nor Yoda had showed themselves yet. Were they not here anymore? Did they not want to see him? He tried not to let the thoughts get to him, and pushed them from his mind. It was only one day, after all.

Luke finished up his dinner and picked Grogu up. He called a goodnight out to R2 and carried him into the hut. Grogu’s eyes were fluttering shut, he could barely keep them open anymore. Luke smiled down on him and swiped a thumb across his forehead gently. He set the kid in a pile of blankets and curled up next to him. The ground wasn’t altogether comfortable, but it didn’t really bother him. He watched Grogu drift off to sleep.

 _‘Miss him’_ Were the last words the child spoke that evening, and for some reason it pierced Luke’s heart in a way it hadn’t before. Luke missed his father too, but his was gone forever. He hadn’t been gifted much time with him at all, barely a handful of minutes. He felt a certain heaviness overtake him as he remembered that it was his fault the child would not get to spend this precious time with his father.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day was no better than the first. In fact, as the days went on Grogu was even more stubborn in his attempts to avoid training. Luke was trying his best to hold back his frustration, but it was beginning to trouble him how adamant the child was. He would not use the force when Luke asked him to, he would not meditate longer than a minute, and the only time he ever showed any interest was when Luke spoke to him. There were plenty of stories to tell him and oral history to pass down, but Luke couldn’t depend solely on that. He didn’t understand why Grogu wasn’t cooperating with him.

‘ _Grogu, pick up the stone.’_ He tried again, holding a small pebble outstretched in his hand. Grogu stared at him in the way Luke had come to associate with him not paying attention. The child ignored him.

 _‘Grogu’,_ he said again, more forcefully this time. He didn’t make any sort of indication that he was even hearing Luke. Luke gripped the stone tighter, then unclenched his fist and took a deep breath.

 _‘You will not learn, if you do not try.’_ Nothing. _‘He wants you to learn.’_

Grogu perked up, his ears twisting forward to face Luke. Grogu outstretched his hand and the pebble lifted up and over to him. Luke let out a deep sigh and dug his hand into his hair like he did when he was stressed. He turned his head up towards the sky, although it was mostly covered by a layer of grey mist. This was why a Jedi wasn’t allowed attachments. Grogu dropped the stone on the ground and titled his head at Luke.

Luke relaxed and lowered his gaze toward the child. He smiled tiredly at him. Maybe he needed to go slower or gain his trust. Did he not already have it? He took one of Grogu’s hands and led him back to the camp, deciding it was time for a break. He sat down on a log and abandoned their training.

“What am I going to do with you, child?” Grogu didn’t respond, but made a tiny chirping noise and tugged at his leg. Luke sighed and pulled him onto his lap. He leaned forward and rested his chin softly on Grogu’s forehead, thinking. He wished he could have some semblance of guidance.

-

He gave up on training for the rest of the day, trying to avoid a nervous breakdown. It was clear to him that Grogu was not going to participate today, so they might as well do something else. They walked next to the river, side by side, while Luke skipped rocks on the murky water. There was a rumble from beneath them after he threw a particularly big rock and a fin protruded from the muddy surface. Luke laughed and looked at Grogu, then he used the force to lift another rock and place it on the monster’s back. It rolled harmlessly off of it’s tough skin, but Grogu’s attention was won.

Without hesitation, Grogu mimicked Luke’s action using the Force. Luke, surprised and excited, let out a whoop and bounced cheerfully.

“Yes!” He said, clasping his hands together. Grogu turned to him with what Luke thought resembled a smile. For a moment Luke let the win wash over him in a golden warmth, his cheeks warming when Grogu squeaked and clapped his hands together too. The happiness was infectious. Luke smiled hugely and continued to walk with him.

Every once in a while he would toss a rock in the water and Grogu would follow suit, and Luke felt amazing with the first progress they had made in a week. Luke reminded himself that Grogu was a child, and that he may need to cater to that a little more than he had been.

A large python slithered on a tree in front of them, blocking them from continuing, and Luke decided they should turn back. It was getting late in the day anyways, and he didn’t want to get lost in the swamp. Grogu made a sad noise as they walked back to the camp, and Luke promised they would come back, if only because the more he could convince him to use the Force the better.

-

Luke resolved to think about things less logically, and more kid-like, which really was what he was good at anyways. He did things Grogu wouldn’t have even really recognize as training, keeping things relatively simple for the time being. He also resolved to talk mostly through the force, since it would be great practice for the both of them. Any chance he got, he was going to make Grogu cultivate his skills.

 _‘Grogu, close your eyes,’_ He said. Grogu did so and Luke slipped off into the trees, hiding his slim from easily behind a thick trunk. He felt the exact moment when Grogu’s eyes opened and he realized that Luke was gone. A sense of panic spread out from his little body, and Luke felt a twinge of guilt, until he felt Grogu reaching out for him in his mind. The tendrils of the Force poked at his thought, and Grogu was at his side in a few moments.

_‘Found you!’_

_‘Excellent,’_ he said and reached down to pat his head. Grogu made a happy noise and looked up at him expectantly. Luke bit down on a smile and picked the child up, then carried him back into the clearing and set him down in the middle. _‘Close your eyes.’_

This time Grogu was expecting it when Luke vanished, and instead of panicking he wasted no time in locating Luke with the force and finding him again. Luke was pretty proud of his unconventional teaching techniques. With each repetition of hide and seek, Grogu learned not only how to strengthen his force techniques, but also that relying on his powers instead of fear would help him find Luke quicker.

In the evenings, he sat Grogu down near their fire and talked to him. He told him stories of the great Jedi of the past and taught them the Jedi doctrines. Sometimes he told he stories from his past, of which there were many long and exciting ones. Grogu always listened to him raptly, like he was enjoying and understanding them, but Luke was never quite able to tell how much he retained. Occasionally, as he began to run out of stories to tell, he began to teach Grogu much more regular things, like battle strategies, and personal combat tidbits. Mostly, he felt like he was just talking to hear himself talk, but he hoped that maybe these things would implant themselves into the back of his brain for a later date.

He tucked Grogu in every night, hovering over his small head, and repeated a saying to him he had discovered in his studies.

“ _Emotion, yet peace._

_Ignorance, yet knowledge._

_Passion, yet serenity._

_Chaos, yet harmony._

_Death, yet the force.”_

It was an ancient mantra of the Jedi Code. Luke had heard other versions, where “no” had been added before the first of each line, but he preferred it this way. In his teaching of the Jedi, there would be no absolutes. Eventually, Grogu began to say the words with him, and they shared a moment of peace and unity at the end of the day as a new tradition.

Luke relaxed into his new lifestyle, and felt glad that things were growing easier, however it lingered in the back of his mind always, that he was still not making much progress. Grogu would still not listen to him outright, and at the end of the day, a Jedi was not supposed to be taught through _games_. Being a Jedi requires discipline and focus, and Grogu just didn’t have that, at least not yet. He was ignoring the root of their problems because he didn’t have a solution.

-

A month into their training, not much had changed. He was starting to get antsy and doubt himself, he was still so unsure of he was doing. In need of time to think clearly, he put Grogu down for a nap and charged R2 with watching over him. He told him to call if he woke up, though, really, Luke would know instinctively when he awoke, and probably Grogu would reach out to him anyways.

Luke maneuvered through the trees and swampy greenery, pushing aside the dense shrubbery and trudging through the mud. He avoided the snakes and swamp creatures as best as he could, though it was a difficult task. He found another open area and pulled his lightsaber from it’s place on his hip, then pressed the button on it’s hilt that released the blade. It glowed a vibrant green and hummed, distorting the air around him. He smiled to himself, already feeling more connected to himself. He swung the lightsaber around the area slowly, admiring the way it felt in his hand and how smoothly it sliced through the air.

He practiced his own drills, swiping the lightsaber in large arcs and working out new maneuvers. He let his body take over and his brain have a rest, moving through the tactics with an incredible ease and fluidity. He stretched and jumped, his muscles loosening and becoming more attentive to his flourishes. He did force-aided backflips and rolls, freeing up his body and mind.

Laughter came loudly, from the chest, and he beamed with the familiar air of his youth. For a brief moment he lost himself completely, intertwined so deeply into the Force he forget where he was. Then he turned and spotted the little green child watching him at the edge of the clearing.

 _‘How did you get here, little one?’_ He asked, his senses coming back to him.

 _‘You called for me.’_ Luke was fairly certain he had done no such thing, but perhaps the child was sensitive to him. Grogu was staring up at him with wide eyes that held a glint of awe. Luke sensed he wanted to say something more, but didn’t have the words. Luke didn’t have them either, so he shut off his lightsaber, walked over to pick him up and take him back to camp.

-

It was night again and he had already sent Grogu to bed, but he lingered outside. He didn’t feel like sleeping, he was restless and twitchy, but he was also aware of how tired his body felt. He hadn’t been sleeping well recently, finding himself staying up later and later as he deliberated what he wanted to do with the child the next day. It was all starting to overwhelm him, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not stop obsessing over it. He forced himself to lie down in the living space near to Grogu, who was sleeping soundly and making small snoring noises. He stared up at the ceiling, his eyes adjusting to the dark and trying to make out all of the details in the material.

He wasn’t sure how long he stayed like that when suddenly he was struck with the realization that he was dreadfully lonely there. He hadn’t been this isolated and alone in a _long_ time. Sure, he had R2 and Grogu, but he missed the company of Leia, Han, Lando, all of his friends. Leia’s name felt heavy in his head, and his chest ached for her company. His sister was the most dearest person in the world to him, the last remaining member of his family and his twin. An idea flickered into his mind and a slow grin spread across his face.

He sat up and leaned against the wall of the hut, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He reached out to her, willing his voice to go far enough to reach her. It was easy, what with the strength of the force here and their close relationship.

 _‘Leia.’_ He let the name ring in his head over and over, imagining it traveling across the galaxies to where she was. Her response was quick.

 _‘Luke.’_ The smile on his face grew even wider and his chest swelled. Hearing her voice was a great comfort to him, instantly setting him at ease.

 _‘Are you well?’_ He asked, imagining the annoyed look on her face when she realized he was just checking in and not in danger. She didn’t like using her gift if the situation wasn’t dire, but he supposed this had to be an exception. He could almost feel the sigh on her voice.

_‘Yes. You?’_

_‘It’s lonely out here.’_ He sensed that she might be laughing at him and pouted.

 _‘Han sends you a kiss.’_ Oh she was definitely laughing at him, and now Han probably was too. He buried his head in his hands as his face reddened slightly, but still there was an unwavering smile set onto his lips.

‘ _Gladly accepted.’_

 _‘How much longer?’_ The smiled finally slipped and he sighed.

_‘Not sure. Not going well.’_

_‘You’re fully capable, Luke.’_ There was a short pause. _‘Goodnight, I love you.’_

_‘I love you, too.’_

Luke lifted his head out of his hands and rubbed at his eyes. He had a slight headache from the exertion of long distance communication. Still, he felt the warmth of talking to Leia linger in him and with that, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

-

Grogu threw a fit in the morning over meditation. He refused to sit still or close his eyes for even a second. Luke reached out to him over and over and all he got in return was a series of unhappy clicks before the child turned and left. Luke sighed, unsure of what to do, and hung his head. He let R2 watch over the kid while he finished his meditation, letting any lingering frustration flow out of his body with each exhale.

His next attempt didn’t go any better than the first of the day. He walked on their usual path next to the river, occasionally tossing a rock or twig into the water. He had even brought some left over rations to feed the monster with. Grogu ignored him the whole time, acting strange and irritable, then finally the last straw came when he shifted the ground beneath Luke’s feet and sent the man tumbling.

Luke swore and lost his balance, sending him right into the disgusting water. He swam up against the goopy muck and detriment, finally getting his legs under him and standing up in the sludge. Gunk clung to his robes and dripped off in sticky sheets when he lifted his arms. He dragged himself out of the water before he was eaten by the serpent and flung himself onto the mossy bank. Grogu was staring at him, unmoving. Luke spat dirty water onto the ground and wiped the back of his hand across his face, which really just smeared the mud around instead of helping at all.

 _‘Camp,’_ he said, and pointed firmly behind them. He dragged his knees up and did his best to scrape the grime off of him before getting up and leading him back. They didn’t say another word to each other for the rest of the day, mostly because Luke desperately needed to cool off before he said or did something he regretted.

He tried his best to be a good Jedi and role model, but in the end he was still learning how to put a damper on his emotions, and he was dreadfully young. Now, he was at his wits end. He didn’t think Grogu had purposefully pushed him into the water, but nevertheless it had happened. And he had no idea what to do about it, so he didn’t do anything.

They ate dinner that night in complete silence and Luke tucked Grogu into bed early. There was nothing to say. He just needed time. Time to understand, time to work things out. Children are complex, he decided on, and he was very inexperienced. He stared into the flames of the fire as he thought about it, willing a vision or an answer to leap out at him, but none came.

-

Luke laid awake that night for hours after he had closed his eyes, as was becoming the usual for him. He was thinking of the child, mulling over the day in his head and visualizing ways he could try shifting the training regimens. He felt like it was all lost on him, the idiot kid who was supposed to rekindle the Jedi legacy, but he couldn’t even train a single child.

There was a ringing in his head that brought his awareness to the forefront. Something was calling him, he realized abruptly. A rush of euphoria flowed through his body as he realized who it was. Tears prickled at the corners of his eyes, but he blinked them back. Slowly, as to not wake the child, he rose and slipped out the doorway into the brisk night air. A lights breeze touched his face and he closed his eyes against it, enjoying the feeling.

He opened his eyes again and parted the overgrowth that lead deeper into the swamp. He maneuvered through the mangled trunks of the trees and under the heavy vines flung everywhere, keenly aware of the dangerous creatures lurking back here. He knew where he was going though, following the pull in his chest. Then it was there, like he had suddenly walked through to another dimension, in front of him was a small clearing that was doused in moonlight. He stepped into it, the light turning his skin a silvery color.

He wasn’t alone. Luke stared at him with a look that betrayed the way his heart was pulsing with a severe mixture of relief, mirth, and heartache. Against his will a tear fled his eye and dripped down his face. He laughed at himself and wiped at it.

“Cry for me, you should not,” Yoda said to him.

“I know.” Luke sniffled and dropped his hand. He wanted to rush forward and hug his former master tightly, but he couldn’t.

“Missed you, I have,” said Yoda. Luke shook his head incredulously, his hair tossing in front of his face.

“I missed you, too,” Luke admitted. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to say that, but it was the truth.

“You have brought someone with you.”

“Yes, the first of many, I hope. He’s like you.” Yoda walked deeper into the light, his skin shimmering. Luke’s face gleamed with hope and Yoda smiled proudly at him.

“Yes. He is.” He didn’t continue, so Luke went on.

“I need your help with him. I don’t know how to do this, and not with a child of a species no-one knows about. Please, master, help me.”

“He is not so different, as you would have.”

“How can I get through to him?” Luke asked, desperation fraying the edges of his words.

“You already have, Luke. Seeing, you are not.”

“I’m trying my best,” Luke said, his eyes pleading.

“Are you?” Yoda asked. Luke paused and thought, taken aback. “Easy answer, there is.”

“I don’t understand,” Luke said, trying to hide his disappointment in himself. Yoda looked around the clearing.

“Use your head, Luke. Allow yourself to see.” Luke took a deep breath and cleared his mind. He allowed everything Yoda said to float in his head, he saw it all from afar, and finally it clicked.

“It’s the Mandalorian, isn’t it?” He asked, speaking slowly and deliberately.

“Excellent.”

“But how does that help me?” Luke was still just as confused.

“It is not in a Jedi’s nature to have close attachments to their family. This is how it has been for centuries. Attachments bring about emotions that the dark side feeds off of. This is certain. However, wrong, a Jedi can be, Luke. Even the great masters. Wrong, Obi Wan was, about your father. Other things too may be wrong. It is up to you to choose what is the truth.” He paused and looked directly at Luke.

“The Jedi Order is your responsibility now, and what you do with it is up to you. Dead, are the rest of us. Stop you, we will not.”

“Thank you, Master Yoda.” Luke felt like he still didn’t fully understand what Yoda was trying to tell him, but he could recognize the conversation was coming to an end.

“Gone, I am. But always, you will be my student. Goodbye for now, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker.” Yoda disappeared from view, melting into the landscape once more, and Luke was alone again.

His chest tightened and his shoulders slumped. It wasn’t fair that he had lost so many loved ones, and still the world expected so much of him. He was smart enough to realize Yoda had given him his blessing to alter the Jedi Code, but it still didn’t sit right with him. It made him nauseous to think about, because he was reminded starkly of his father and the mistakes he had made. He was so torn on the issue it felt like he was being eaten alive from the inside out.

On the one hand, he loved Leia and his friends dearly, and so he himself had attachments that he shouldn’t. He couldn’t bring himself to be hypocritical and forbid others from doing the same. On the other hand, hadn’t it been those relationships that stole him away from his training and lured him into a trap? Hadn’t Anakin lost himself to the dark side because he was in love with Padmé? But then, it was his fatherly relationship to Luke that brought him back to the light. In the end it had all worked out, but at what cost?

He shook his head violently, trying to straighten out all of his thoughts, and slunk back to the camp. The sky had not changed all, but he felt like things were darker around him. Like the shadows had a mind of their own. In the empty circle of the camp sight, he put his head in his hands and dropped to the ground. This was too much for one person. He could not bear the weight of the world alone. No matter who he was, there was always a breaking point.

But who said he had to do it alone? While he sat with his head hanging in his hands, fingers tangled into his damp hair, tears streaming down, a face came to him. He sucked a breath in and leaned back to look up into the cloudy sky. The Mandalorian. Grogu’s adopted parent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise Mando will be in the next chapter :) Also, please comment!!! I love hearing from you guys so much!


	3. Chapter 3

Yoda had practically told him to do it, right? It wasn’t an entirely _bad_ thing to invite the Mandalorian here. He paced back and forth by the waterside. It was midday and the child was resting, but he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Would that be the right thing to do? Encourage the boy’s attachment? He groaned and forced himself to take a deep breath. He had already decided that he wouldn’t prevent their relationship, that would be cruel, even Master Yoda had said that. So what was the problem?

 _‘Leia,’_ He said, before he lost his confidence.

_‘Luke?’_

_‘Contact the Mandalorian. Tell him we’re on Dagobah.’_ There was a stark silence. Luke breathed deeply, his chest heaving slightly with the weight of the decision.

-

He felt the arrival of the Mandalorian before he saw or heard the ship, and so did Grogu. Luke watched the small child still completely in a way he had never seen before, like he was looking at something he didn’t believe. Then, all at once, the child screeched and jumped up and down restlessly, spinning in circles. Luke laughed nervously and cleared his throat. He had only seen the man once before and was unsure of what to expect, not to mention he thought their time on the planet had tampered his social skills.

The Mandalorian’s plane landed much smoother than Luke’s had. It was a small gunship that held up to the reckless terrain of the planet. When the exit hatch opened and the man himself descended, Luke’s heart rate picked up speed. He sucked a breath in and let all emotion leak from his face. He put up his Jedi mask, only slightly wary of the Mandalorian. His armor glistened as he walked towards them, the feeble sunlight making him look as though there was a haze surrounding him. Luke blinked his eyes against the sharp rays.

Grogu darted forward as fast as his little legs would take him, and the Mandalorian bent down to meet him just as desperately. He scooped Grogu up into his arms and hugged him close to his chest, a gesture so pure it tugged at Luke’s heart and he knew he had made the right decision. It wasn’t fair to either of them keep them apart. A placid smile settled on Luke’s face and he moved forward to introduce himself.

“Mandalorian. Welcome, I’m Luke.” He walked a few places closer to them. The Mandalorian stood up, still holding the child tightly. He was impossible to read behind the bright metal of his helmet, and it unnerved Luke to a degree.

“Of all the planets in the galaxy, you brought him here?” The Mandalorian asked. His voice was amplified with a metallic rattle. Luke let a laugh flutter out.

“It’s not the most pleasant place, I’m aware.”

“What is this place?”

“Safe,” Luke said. “Hidden. And ripe with the Force.” The Mandalorian’s head tilted just the slightest to the side, but he didn’t comment. Instead his attention snapped back to the child in his arms.

“I missed him so much,” he said softly, and Luke wasn’t sure if he was supposed to hear it or not.

“He missed you too,” Luke said just as delicately. A fond look overtook his face. “He tells me all the time.” Luke saw the Mandalorian’s hand twitch.

“How has he been? Has the training been going well?” He asked. Luke’s smile faltered and his Jedi mask slipped for a brief moment.

“He’s just fine. The training has been… slow,” Luke said, choosing his words carefully. The Mandalorian looked up at him with what Luke could only imagine was suspicion.

“Slow?”

“He’s not always the most motivated to learn.” That seemed to take the Mandalorian by surprise. He brushed the back of Grogu’s head affectionately.

“Why aren’t you behaving?” He asked, his voice lowering as he spoke directly to Grogu. Grogu’s ear twitched and he made a noise.

“I haven’t been able to figure that out, that’s why I invited you-“

 _‘Missed you too much,’_ Grogu said. Luke’s face paled and words failed him.

“What?”

“He said,” Luke swallowed and shook off the surprise. “He said he missed you too much.”

“We never should have been separated,” the Mandalorian said, tone frustrated. “I thought it would be better for the training, but apparently not. For now on I stay with him.”

Luke tried to hide the guilt in his face and the sick feeling in his stomach. Oh, he’d really gone and done it now. Luke nodded stiffly, not being able to ruin the moment just yet.

“Let’s sit. I’ll make a fire. It’s getting late,” He said. Luke turned without waiting for a response and walked back to their campsite, getting to work on creating the fire. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the Mandalorian looking around curiously.

Once the fire was set up they convened around it, huddling in close to the flames against the nighttime cool. It was silent for a while and Luke didn’t want to break it, he felt awkward around the two of them together, like he was intervening on something personal.

“I suppose I should thank you. Your sister saved me from quite the fix,” the Mandalorian said, finally breaking the silence and looking over at Luke across the flames. Luke smiled.

“I’m glad she could help. What was it, if you don’t mind me asking?”

The Mandalorian sighed. “Many have been coming to challenge me for the Darksaber. I was ambushed after one duel unfairly, and they got the upper hand.” Luke’s eyes dropped down to his thigh where the saber hung dutifully. It reminded him some what of his lightsaber, and he wondered what kind of fight it would put up. “It’s been hell since we left, I’m sort of relieved to escape them here for a while.

“I’m sure,” Luke said, distracted by the words. He wondered briefly if maybe that was why Grogu had been acting up. Maybe the two were more connected than Luke had originally thought.

“You’re powerful,” the Mandalorian said, snapping Luke out of his thoughts. He was taken aback, not sure what he was referring too. “Back on the Cruiser. If it weren’t for you, I would be dead. And so would he.” He gestured to Grogu.

Luke smiled kind of shyly and ducked his head. He fiddled with a rock in his hands. “Perhaps. I have heard you are a force to be reckoned with as well, no?”

“There are rumors about me, I know. Not all of them are true, but a lot of them are. Go ahead and ask,” he said.

“Maybe I’d like to find out another way,” Luke said, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Are you proposing something?” Luke wished he could read the Mandalorian better, but it was practically impossible behind the armor. How much joking could he get away with?

“Depends.” Luke shrugged, seemingly nonchalant. “A friendly duel never hurt anyone.”

“I’m sure that is not true.”

Luke grinned from ear to ear. “Maybe. Is that a no?” The Mandalorian shifted in his seat and looked into the flames.

“We should focus on the child,” he said. Luke’s face fell sharply and was replaced by a business-like stare. He was sort of desperate for something else to focus on, since he had been thinking nonstop about the child for weeks. Luke found himself reluctant to return to work centric conversation.

Grogu squeaked and tugged at the Mandalorian’s leg and he brought him up into his lap.

“He likes you a lot,” Luke said, another safe smile touching the corners of his lips. The Mandalorian sighed and touched Grogu’s ears affectionately.

“I know. Ahsoka would not teach him because of it. I don’t understand it,” he said, not looking at Luke. Luke turned that over in his mind. He knew that other Jedi would not have allowed the child to form connections, would not have taught him because of it. The question was becoming the downfall of Luke.

“I don’t agree with her,” Luke said, causing the other's head to snap up and look at him. “I don’t believe the old Jedi Masters were right about that, attachments are not always bad.” The decisiveness of the words surprised him, but they felt good.

“I suppose that’s a good thing.” Luke stared at him intently for a quiet moment.

“You can take your helmet off, if you wish,” Luke said hesitantly. He was wildly unfamiliar with the traditions of Mandalorians.

“I don’t take it off in front of others,” He said, voice lowering.

“But on the-“

“That wasn’t meant for you.” The Mandalorian stiffened, obviously uncomfortable with the topic. Luke nodded ruefully and let it go. It wasn’t his business anyways.

“You’ll be sleeping in your ship then, I guess,” he said.

“Yes. And he will come with me,” he said. He gestured to the child.

“Of course.” Luke smiled. “I’ll just stay out here by myself then.” He laughed and R2 beeped indignantly at him. “Oh, of course, R2, what would I do without you for company?”

The Mandalorian spun towards the droid, muscles taught, then he relaxed all at once. “How long have you had the droid?” He asked tiredly.

“A long time,” Luke said, pleasantly reminiscing. “Since I was just starting my Jedi training. This droid has helped me through a lot.” He patted R2 fondly, who whistled in return.

“Not too long ago I hated droids. A grudge from my childhood,” the Mandalorian said. Luke quieted himself, surprised by his sudden openness.

“Not an easy childhood, then?” Luke asked, hoping that joking around would make him more at ease, even though he hadn’t laughed once so far.

“No.”

“Me neither,” Luke grinned with all of his teeth. “Well, none of my life has been easy, but I think maybe you relate to that too.” The Mandalorian scoffed softly and Luke buzzed at the new reaction.

“That would be an understatement,” he said.

“It’s nice to have someone to relate to there. Leia doesn’t understand it, she grew up as a princess and is now a senator. Han gets it, but well, he’s Han.” Luke felt a pang of sadness as he talked about them, he missed them dearly.

“There are many people that didn’t have great childhoods.” Mando said, sounding even more cutting than usual. Luke flinched. He didn’t mean it like that, but it had come off kind of arrogant.

“I know that,” Luke said softly.

“It’s late. I’m going to bed,” the Mandalorian said. Luke heaved a sigh and stood up with him. As he watched the two walk away a thought occurred to him.

“Wait!” The man froze in place, back still facing him. “I never caught your name.” There was a short pause where Luke thought he would not answer.

“Din,” he said shortly, then continued on.

He watched the man's back as he walked away and disappeared into his ship. The swamp around him felt creepily quiet and still around him. He put out the fire, staring at the remains of the burned ashes. His mind felt clearer with another human on the planet, and a warmth spread from his chest out into his limbs. He bit back a smile and turned in for the night, falling asleep quickly and easily.

-

Waking up without the comfort of Grogu nearby made the morning much more dreary. Luke groaned and rubbed a hand across his face, his body felt stiff and achy and his throat was scratchy and dry. He stood up, testing his limbs and stretching into the new day. R2 beeped cheerily at him and his face softened into a smile.

“Good morning,” he said to the droid. He swung out of the door and hopped up onto a log, feeling the energy of the day and the sun seep into his lungs. “Any sign of the others?” R2 let out a long whine in response. “Not yet, huh?”

Luke grabbed one of their water stores and gulped it down greedily. He heated the remainder for tea. He was so used to spending the days in a similar routine that the shift was throwing him off. He was surprised at how much he missed being around the child. The one life form he had here, taken away from him, though it was worth it when remembered that now there was another person here too. Someone around his age, that he could talk to. His face lit up.

He sipped his tea and waited patiently for the two of them to emerge from their ship, watching the skyline brighten into a misty blend of pink and orange. The heat from his tea warmed his hands against the morning chill and the steam wafted up into his face when he lifted it to his lips. He hummed happily, always feeling the most at peace in the morning, before the rest of the world caught up. He loved those moments.

The unmistakable whoosh of the doors to a spaceship brought Luke’s attention back to him. He glanced over lazily at where Din and the child were walking towards him. Grogu chirped playfully and ran over to him, wrapping his tiny arms around Luke’s leg. Luke’s heart melted and he picked Grogu up in one fluid motion. Grogu reached excitedly for his mug and he laughed before tilting it to give him a sip. Luke smiled and ran a hand over Grogu’s head, smoothing his ears back.

“Sleep well?” He asked, turning to face Din. He was watching them, completely unreadable as always. Luke pushed down the sigh he wanted to let out. Din inclined his head, thinking about his words.

“Better than ever,” he said, and Luke caught the lilt in his voice. Luke found himself smiling again, right back at the blank Mandalorian.

“Wonderful,” he said, feeling cheery. “Well, I’ve decided that it would benefit all three of us to take a day off from training today.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“He’s just a kid, Din. One day is not going to change a thing,” Luke said, grinning helplessly through his words. He thought he felt a tug of amusement wavering from Din.

“Alright,” Din said. He lingered for a moment, like he was debating something, then he moved forward and sat down next to Luke. Grogu made a couple small noises and waddled across the log to Din, who scooped him up without a word.

 _‘Family,’_ Grogu said. Luke blushed profusely, then tried to hide it behind his hair, looking away and picking at the bark on the tree beneath him. _‘My family.’_

Luke tried to swallow a sip of his tea, but it caught in his throat and he spluttered all over the silence. Din’s head whipped in his direction, unsure of what to do.

“Are you- are you okay?” He asked awkwardly. Luke regained his composure and laughed nervously, face reddening again.

“Yes, yeah. I’m- I’m good.” He wasn’t going to bring up Grogu’s words to him, especially with the implication behind the word family. They weren’t a family, Luke barely even knew the Mandalorian. Their only connection was the child, even if this child loved them both a lot. It did put a touch of a smile on Luke’s lips, however, because it was kind of adorable.

For a second Luke drifted into a dream of the three of them living happily together. He imagined Grogu running around happily, playing in the grass and with other children outside of a small cottage. The cottage was theirs, he could feel it. Inside would be him and Din, and a warm arm would wrap around his waist and swing him in. He could almost feel it, a brush against his lips so light and gentle it made him shiver.

“Are you cold?” A voice asked, breaking him free of the vision. Luke bit down hard on a gasp as he realized where he was once again and who it was that had just spoken.

“N-no,” he stammered, unable to get the images out of his mind. He clamped down on the thought that told him his visions were usually of the future. This one was impossible, it was not going to happen.

“You seem cold. I can make the fire,” Din said. Luke took a deep breath and finally titled his head to look at the man, only to find he was already staring at him. He felt the pierce of his eyes even behind the dark visor. Luke forced himself to smile wearily.

“No. The sun will be out soon,” he said. His voice was the slightest bit breathless, and he hoped Din didn’t notice. If he did, he didn’t say anything about it, he just nodded and looked away.

-

“Din?” Luke asked hesitantly. It was much later in the day now, but all they had done was linger around lazily.

“Hmm?”

“If we’re going to spend a lot of time around each other, should we get to know each other a little?” He was feeling weirdly flustered about asking the question, like it was weird and not just a normal thing to ask. Luke was trying to find ways to make things less awkward between the two of them. Grogu was having a field day with the free time, but the stale air between the two adults was almost suffocating.

“I don’t usually do that,” he said. Luke rolled his eyes playfully, letting his nervous energy roll off his body.

“How often do you take on children with Force sensitivity and decide to live with their trainer?” Luke asked. He couldn’t tell if Din thought the joke was funny or not, but he did seem to relax slightly from his usual taught self.

“I guess everything in my life is unprecedented now, isn’t it?”

“Think of it this way, Din. You’re setting the new precedent,” Luke said. His words were airy with playfulness and kind warmth. He wanted the Mandalorian to trust him and relax, there was a deep yearning in Luke to know more about this mysterious man. Din shuddered and shook his head in what looked like disbelief.

“I’m not used to hearing my name so casually like that,” Din said. Luke’s eyes widened eagerly. Did he not tell people his name usually? Something about the specialness of it thrummed in Luke’s ears.

“Why not?” He asked, curiosity making his words come out childish. He bit his lip and looked away, the gaze of the Mandalorian being too strong for him.

“There aren’t many people who know it.” Din’s words were carefully placed.

“So then why did you tell me?” Luke’s eyebrows furrowed together.

“Because you asked,” the Mandalorian said simply. Luke’s face relaxed and he smiled easily at him. “What else did you want to know about me?”

Din moved away from him, towards the edge of the water, staring into it’s murky depth. Luke followed him, glancing back briefly to make sure Grogu was alright. He was chasing after a large bug in the air, distracted for the moment. Luke took a few silent steps closer and sat on the bank like he had so many times already. Din paused a moment then let out a breath and sat next to him. Luke was keenly aware of the space between them, and ignored his urge to close it. The metal of Din’s armor clanked as he settled next to Luke, and Luke felt a twinge in his chest that he could not take it off.

“The armor,” Luke said. Din didn’t look at him. “It’s a part of your creed?”

Din made a sound like he was readying for a story, stretching his legs out and letting his palms dig into the ground behind him.

“It is. One of the most important parts.”

“Tell me,” Luke said, staring directly at the side of Din’s head. When finally Din turned to look at him Luke’s breath hitched in his chest and he grew still under the man’s gaze. “About being a Mandalorian. And I’ll tell you about being a Jedi.”

The child was in between them, touching Din’s knee gently with a tilt of his head. Din relaxed at the sight of Grogu and slipped a hand around him to bring him in closer. Luke pushed back against the feeling of being left out that was begging for his attention. Over Grogu’s head, Din watched Luke for a moment, making Luke feel bare and small.

“Alright,” he said. Their breaths ran hot with the words of their people, explaining their ways of life to each other. Separate ways, yes, but not so different, they decided. Luke noticed that Din’s voice changed when he spoke of being a Mandalorian. It was almost imperceptible, but Luke caught the subtle way it shifted to accommodate his passion with a touch of wistfulness. Luke understood the aches that came with a dying creed well.

“I’ve made some mistakes,” Din said, recounting the many times he had taken his helmet off as of late. “And they’ve got me feeling lost. I don’t know.” They had been talking so long, the sky was darkening and Grogu was fast asleep in Din’s arms.

“Lost how?” Luke asked, relating a little too much.

“Like I’m not a Mandalorian anymore, maybe.” His voice was the softest Luke had ever heard it and it drove right into his soul.

“That’s not true,” Luke said, his voice quieting to match.

“Isn’t it? I did exactly what they told me not to. More than once.” Din was staring straight ahead, refusing to look at Luke, but he could hear the pain in his voice. After speaking so lovingly of his people, the joy had been stripped from his tone and now all that was left was an aching tiredness.

“Din,” Luke said, wishing he would look at him. “I refuse to believe that is what makes you a Mandalorian.”

Finally he looked over at Luke. “What do you mean?”

The glint of hope in his voice made Luke’s heart race. “So what you took your helmet off? You’ve just spent hours telling me all about the wonders of being a Mandalorian and their deep-seated pride and loyalty. A helmet does not make you a Mandalorian.”

Din stared blankly at him for a long time. So much so that Luke was beginning to think he had said the wrong thing and screwed everything up. Until suddenly Din reached out and took his hand gingerly. The oily leather of his gloves felt soothing against the bare skin of Luke’s left hand. Luke’s eyes stared with curious intent and bore into his armor, trying to glean something of what this meant. There was nothing, though, just a hand touching his that reminded him of how long it had been since he had felt such affection.

Almost reluctantly, Din pulled his hand away and looked down at the child in his lap. Luke’s breaths came more easily, but the absence of his touch was so pronounced it hurt. Grogu shifted and woke up, making soft cooing noises.

 _‘Time for bed,’_ Luke said. Grogu found his eyes with his own big, round ones.

 _‘Sleepy. You come with?’_ Luke grinned before he could stop it, heat rising in his cheeks. He shook his head.

 _‘No, Grogu. Not this time.’_ Din was watching him intensely.

 _‘Come with,’_ Grogu said again. Luke’s mouth parted in exasperation and he made a face in the direction of Din, holding in a giggle.

“Is he… Is he saying something?” Din asked timidly. Luke did let out a laugh that time, because timidness was not something that suited the Mandalorian.

“Yes, he is.” Luke’s smile widened when he looked up at Din again. “He’s asking, well more like insisting, that I come with you tonight. Don’t worry, I’ve told him no.” Luke chuckled to himself.

“He wants you to come with us? To the ship?” He asked. Luke nodded.

“I suppose I could help to tuck him in. If you don’t mind.”

“Yes,” Din said. “You should do that.” He wasted no time in rising to his feet and walking towards his ship, leaving Luke stumbling to catch up and sending a wild grin in R2’s direction. He followed Din into the main chamber of the ship and to where they slept. A makeshift bed had been set up with pillows and blankets that looked positively cozy. Luke couldn’t help the way his eyes widened with wonder and longing at the sight of it. A thought flittered through Luke’s head. _‘It’s big enough for two. If only the two were pressed close.’_

He closed his eyes desperately against the thought and the image it painted in his mind. These thoughts were so clear it was like they weren’t even his, and he wished desperately they weren’t.

When Din had set Grogu down into the blankets and gently tucked him in, so full of care it made Luke’s hands tremble, Luke leaned in close and caress his thumb across the child’s forehead.

 _‘Goodnight,’_ he said. And together they repeated:

“ _Emotion, yet peace._

_Ignorance, yet knowledge._

_Passion, yet serenity._

_Chaos, yet harmony._

_Death, yet the Force.”_

Luke hadn’t realized he had said the words out loud until he heard a weak gasp drop from Din’s mouth and turned to see him staring. Luke didn’t know what it was that made Din react like that, but it passed quickly. Luke’s placid Jedi smile overtook his face and he linked his fingers below his chest.

“Goodnight, Din,” he said.

“Goodnight, Luke.” His voice was airy and reverent in a way Luke didn’t understand.

With that Luke turned and led himself out of the ship and back to his drab camp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who is enjoying this so far :)


	4. Chapter 4

A new day meant it was time to return to training Grogu, and Luke felt the excitement build in him for the first time in weeks. Things were different, he could feel it all around him, and saw it in the way Grogu moved and talked. He sat across from the child, meditating together, and waited patiently for Grogu’s mind to wander. It didn’t come nearly as soon as he was expecting. What he had been expecting was that the child would be even more distracted with Din around, but it was the exact opposite. It was as if his presence calmed him and he seemed to have no problem sitting with Luke.

Eventually his child brain kicked in and he was toddling away looking toward the treetops. Luke’s heart swelled as he watched him, still in awe of what had just happened. He sought Din’s eyes out, found him standing at the edge of the clearing, and nodded once. It was the most progress they had made in weeks, so Luke decided to press his luck.

They ate their breakfast, the three of them together, fairly quietly. It was still morning, and there wasn’t much to say yet, but the company was still nice. Luke kept sneaking glances at the beskar giant next to him. Then, it was time for Force strengthening.

Din left them to it, trying not to be too intrusive, and disappeared into his ship. Luke smiled down fondly at Grogu and tossed a rock up in the air, then caught it in his palm. Grogu’s eyes followed its path curiously. He threw it up again and as it was plummeting down he focused and the stone froze before it his his hand, then he tossed it easily towards the kid.

Grogu stopped it just before it hit him in the head and squeaked indignantly at Luke, who just laughed. The rock came speeding back at him and he had to think quickly before it hit him in the chest. He gave Grogu a stern look. This was a game they played often, back and forth they would toss it, like a ball. Today, Luke tried something different, because it kept Grogu’s attention easily. He summoned another stone from the ground without looking and added it to the mix. Grogu accepted the challenge seamlessly and before he knew it Luke was actually enjoying their little game.

He bounced around from foot to foot, adding another and another, and laughing breathlessly as he and Grogu spun around the clearing and tossed the rocks back and forth. It was almost a struggle for Luke to keep up with all of them, so he let his instincts fall to the Force, anticipating moves and letting it tell him where everything was. His favorite thing about being a Jedi was the moment when finally he let the Force run through him and guide him, it was like giving in completely and seeing everything all at once.

Then, he came back to himself in a deep breath, and held their collection of rocks hovering around him. Grogu stared at him in wonder, mouth open and head tilting back and forth to admire the floating rocks.

“Impressive,” a voice said behind him. Luke startled and all the stones dropped to the ground. He chuckled to himself and turned to face Din.

“When did you get here?” He asked, remembering how he’d seen Din leave.

“Just a minute ago,” he said, and that was it. Luke blushed a little and turned away from him. He felt weirdly proud at receiving his praise.

- ****

“Din,” Luke said. It was just after lunch now and he sat on the ground and faced Grogu. He wanted to show Grogu something different today, as a treat to them both. “Would you be so kind as to help me with a demo?”

“Fine,” Din said, and the drudgery was evident in his tone. “What do you want me to do?”

Luke ignored him and turned to Grogu. “Fighting is like a dance,” he said. He reached down and brought his lightsaber out, placing it in between the two of them. “The lightsaber is an extension of yourself, not just your arm. It’s powerful, but must also be treated delicately. A fight is a two person thing, you have to train yourself to follow the other person. To anticipate what their next move is, and maneuver accordingly.”

“A dance?” Din asked, clearly mocking him. Luke fought a glare and turned to him, holding back a snide remark.

“Yes,” he said emphatically. “You don’t agree?”

“Fighting is about skill and weaponry,” he said. Luke sighed and turned back to Grogu.

“Jedi fighting isn’t like that. We only have one weapon. It’s all about instinct.

“Is dancing a formal Jedi instinct, or just one of yours?” Din asked. He was sitting now too, arms crossed over his chest and his head tilted back like he might let out a jeering laugh. Luke spun on him, nose scrunched up.

“You think you got this all figured out? Why don’t you show me,” Luke said, skin running warm with the challenge. He jumped up while Din rose to his feet slowly. Luke could picture the smirk still hanging tightly onto his lips.

“Why of course, oh Jedi Master. I would be honored to duel you,” he said. “But don’t go crying when I beat your ass.”

“You wish,” Luke said, voice low. He extended his right arm out and the lightsaber snapped up from the floor into his palm. He had been waiting for this since they first met. Din stretched his arms out and rolled his neck.

_‘Sit over there?’_ Luke asked kindly, nodding his head in the direction of a stump out of the range of being crushed.

_‘What’s going on?’_ Grogu asked, and nervous energy bounded off of him.

_‘Nothing. A demonstration. Watch closely and don’t interfere.’_ Grogu moved away from them to the place Luke had pointed out.

Luke turned to face Din, his whole body buzzing with excitement. Din hadn’t taken the dark saber out like Luke had expected, and he raised an eyebrow at him to which there was no response. Instead, the man was wielding a thin, shining spear. Luke thought it might be of beskar too. Luke shrugged off his cape, leaving him in just a thin, white shirt and canvas pants.

“Ready?” Din asked. Luke reveled in the rasp of his voice for a moment.

“As I’ll ever be,” he said, pressing the button on his light saber and feeling it jump to life. _Ah, old friend._

He slowly circled the clearing, Din following his lead so that they still faced each other, waiting for someone to make the first move. As a rule, Luke always waited and watched. It was all part of the dance. And when Din sprung in close, he was ready for him. The metal crashed against the green light of his lightsaber and sent sparks flying. Luke was grinning like a maniac. Neither of them moved for a lingering few seconds, then Din swung around and tried to get him from the other side of his body.

Luke blocked again and shook his head, taking a step in closer. Suddenly, they were close. Close enough for Luke to feel the heat reflecting off of his armor and hear the soft breaths he took under his mask. A shiver ran through him, even though it was hot and muggy in the swamp. Luke clicked off the lightsaber, not trying to run Din through with it. He was in too close for Din to do anything with the spear, so he dropped it and tried to swing at Luke’s head, to which he ducked easily and stepped around to the side. Luke huffed at him for trying to hit him in the head.

Din followed him wherever he went, keeping in his space, and Luke felt he couldn’t have proved his point better. They moved in incredible time, like there was actually music playing in the back of their heads, heartbeats beating to the same steady metronome.

“See,” he said airily. “A dance.”

Din grunted in frustration and finally backed away. He reached down for his spear and struck out with it in Luke’s direction. Luke flicked his light saber on just in time to block the shot from hitting and they tossed blows back and forth. Luke jumped around him, avoiding the blows with ease and testing Din’s defense for weaknesses.

When he grew tired of this he moved out of Din’s range and the two began to slowly circle each other again, this time in the opposite direction, watching with rapt attention. They were both breathing heavily, Luke enjoying the burn in his chest froth the exertion. Luke knew Din was advancing in on him before he even started moving, and slid closer to meet him. Again, they threw hits back and forth, the sound of the weapons hitting becoming rhythmic. Then Din did something Luke wasn’t expecting, catching him in a moment of vulnerability with a maneuver of brute force.

He slammed into Luke and sent him flying backwards with a yelp as he landed on his butt in the shrubbery of the surrounding trees. His shirt caught on something and ripped as he flung himself back up and into the fight. This time he wasn’t playing around. He forced Din back with a series of aggressive strikes, and all Din could do was be on the defensive. While he had Din on the retreat, he used the momentum to fling him backwards with a nudge of the Force.

“Hey!” Din said, his armor cracking as he hit the ground hard.

“Aren’t I supposed to fight like a Jedi?” Luke asked, his voice filled to the brim with thrill. The Mandalorian grumbled something Luke couldn’t hear. Before he could get up Luke was standing over him, lightsaber pointed at his chest. Din sighed deeply and let his head fall back into the dirt. Luke wasn’t done yet though, with a flick of his fingers Din was lurched up from the ground and into him.

His face was only an inch away and Luke was smirking in a sorely proud way. He was high on his own confidence, so lifted his hand and ran his fingers down the side of the helmet, enjoying the way his fingers burned against the hot metal.

“I think I know what I’m talking about,” he said, words deliberate and laced with something even he couldn’t identify. There was red hot frenzy running through his veins, scorching his insides. He let his hand drop and laughed the tension away, taking a few steps back.

“Next time, I’ll go hard on you,” he said, grinning wolfishly.

-

Luke sat sprawled on the ground with his back leaned up against a dusty rock. He was trying to mend the rip in his shirt from their fight earlier. He pulled at the thread hanging out of his mouth, clamped down by his teeth, and it broke off. He threaded it through a needle and made quick work of a knot tied between his deft fingers. His shirt was laid over his lap and he held the needle between his teeth while he positioned it so that he could see the hole clearly. Din approached him cautiously and Luke felt more than saw his eyebrows raise.

“Are you… busy?” He asked the Jedi. Luke let out a muffled laugh and looked up at him with his signature Cheshire grin.

“Nope,” he said, taking the needle out of his mouth and beginning to work on the clothing. He thought he heard something different in Din’s voice when he spoke.

“Sorry for that,” he said, gesturing towards Luke’s shirt.

“All in fun,” he said, his face kind. It was quiet for a moment before Din sat down diagonally from him and leaned his back against the house. Luke continued to pull the needle in and out of the white, sweat stained shirt, leaving dark jagged stitching across the side. “You’re making a habit out of staring at me.” There was a grin on his voice.

Din didn’t look away, and so when Luke raised his head they made halfway eye contact and Luke felt a twinge of amusement coming from him.

“Does it make you uncomfortable?” The Mandalorian asked.

“No, not at all.” Luke shook his head and laughed, his grin widening on his face. “Did you put him down for a nap?”

“Yeah, he’s out like a light. Using his powers always makes him so tired.”

“It’ll be like that until he gets used to it,” Luke said, returning his attention to the cloth.

“Is it like that for you?” Luke felt he was genuinely curious. A soft smile played at Luke’s lips.

“No, not unless I do something really big.”

“Like what?” Luke paused and thought, putting his hand on his chin and looking to the sky.

“I’m not sure. Maybe we’ll find out one day.” Luke was grinning at him again.

“I’ll be sure to run when we do.” His voice was dry, but Luke sensed the humor running through it. He rolled his eyes playfully.

“I wouldn’t hurt you. But whatever, so long as you don’t leave me passed out on the battle field.”

“Surely you don’t think I’m the type of person to leave a friend to die?” Din asked. The words came out freely, with no hesitation. Luke bit hard into his bottom lip to stop the grin from taking over his whole face. _They were friends._

Luke readjusted himself so that he was facing directly towards the man. “And what type of person are you, Din?”

“I’m a Mandalorian,” he replied immediately. “What else would I be?”

“Are you nothing besides a Mandalorian?” Luke asked, watching him intently.

“Are you nothing besides a Jedi?” He countered. Luke shrugged and leaned back.

“I’d like to think I’m more than that.” Suddenly things had taken a serious turn, and Luke wasn’t sure if he liked it, but he decidedly wasn’t afraid of it.

“More?”

“Yeah, more. There’s more to life than fighting. For example, are you not also a father? And I a brother?” Din didn’t respond and Luke finished working on his shirt, then slipped it back over his head. He stood up and began to walk away, then paused and turned around. Din stared up at the sky motionlessly, and Luke would have thought he was asleep but for the way his hand tapped idly on the ground. Luke smiled sadly and left.

-

“Sit, Grogu. There’s a story I want to tell you. It’s about a fly and a bantha. You know what that is?” Across the fire Din was watching them, his dark visor glinting with a reflection of the dancing flames. Luke was transfixed briefly, staring at him. The moon glinted overhead, and a few stars and planets lined the galaxies above them.

“He does,” Din butted in. “We’ve spent time on Tatooine.”

“You’ve been to Tatooine?” Luke asked, his face lighting up as he leaned in closer. Din nodded. “I grew up there.”

“There?” Din asked, disbelief present through his mechanical voice. Luke laughed gently. “No wonder this place is nothing to you.”

“I suppose I’ve spent time on much worse planets,” Luke said. He thought of life on Tatooine as a youth and the extreme heat, then of Hoth and it’s freezing cold. He had almost faced death on both planets, funnily enough. “Well, back to the story,” Luke said, turning his attention back to the small child.

_‘Story time? Love stories!’_

Luke grinned. “There was once a large bantha roaming the dry, hot hills and on him was a fly. A fly so small that nobody even knew it was there, especially not the bantha. But this fly, he spent his entire life living on the bantha’s back, following it through the deserts and to watering holes, but never leaving it for other animals. The fly was always loyal to this bantha, until one day it wondered for the first time why. It worked up the courage and finally called out to the bantha asking it for permission to leave. To this the bantha responded ‘I did not know you had come and I shall not miss you when you go away.’

“Oftentimes, Grogu, in our own eyes we think we are important, especially as Jedi. It’s vital we learn that this is not true, or we will get ahead of ourselves and fall into the hands of greed and arrogance. It’s all connected, you know. We can use the Force, yes, but that does not make us any greater than those around us. To them, perhaps we are nothing but the fly on their back. Sometimes that is the greatest gift.”

Again, Luke felt Din’s gaze boring into him, but he couldn’t decipher why. He sighed and stared right back at him defiantly. They stared at each other in the firelight for far longer than Luke had anticipated, neither willing to back down.

_‘Important to me,’_ Grogu said. _‘You are.’_

Luke, taken by surprise, finally broke eye contact with Din and felt the breath leave his lungs in a painfully blissful way. He put a hand on Grogu’s head.

_‘You’re important to me, too,’_ he said, lifting his eyes to stare directly at Din as he said it. The words felt like a treason of some sort, and he tried to pretend they meant less than they did.

-

Luke was overwhelmingly happy with how they day had gone. He felt, for the first time since coming here, like he belonged. He was accomplishing things. He was doing this.

He tried to sleep, but this place gave him vivid dreams, and most were terrible, except for the one from last night that he could not bear to admitting. He stood up once again and walked outside, taking refuge in his favorite spot on the bank of the water, and curling up so that his arms circled his knees and his chin rested on his arms. The water murmured softly and wavered in front of him. He was only there for a few minutes before the crunching of leaves signified someone was behind him.

“Can’t sleep?” Asked the man who had haunted his dreams. Luke wasn’t sure if he was real or a hallucination for a moment. He smiled feebly and looked back towards the water. He felt Din sit down next to him, too close for comfort. Or maybe just close enough.

“You too?” Luke asked. His voice felt too loud for the ensuing silence around them and it echoed in Luke’s head.

“Luke,” Din said. Luke relaxed and closed his eyes at the sound of his name. It had been so long he had almost forgotten what it sounded like. “About our fight earlier…”

“Hmm?” Luke lifted his head and stared at Din with furrowed eyebrows.

“I’ve been thinking about it and I just wanted to say that while I don’t understand, I think you’re right. And that, well. I was wondering if you would teach me, uh, how to fight like that.” The words came awkwardly and weirdly paced and it made Luke blush a little.

“Of course,” he said without thinking. Was he really going to teach him things specific to a Jedi? But the answer was always yes. “I will. Even though you can’t use the force, there are still things I can teach you. Actually, it would probably be helpful for the little one anyways. Since I’m not going to teach him how to fight yet. I can use you as an example. ” Luke was actually kind of excited about it, and he wasn’t sure if it was because things were going so well or because that would mean he would get to spend more time with Din.

Din breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

“But, you have to promise me one thing,” Luke said. “If you’re going to learn how to fight like a Jedi, you must act like a Jedi, too.” Luke’s eyes searched him for a sign of reaction. Something to let him know he understood what he meant. That if he learned how to fight this way, he could not disrespect the Jedi nature by using it in brash and hateful ways.

“I swear to it,” he said, his voice ringing with resolve. Luke admired him curiously then looked away.

“The child has changed you,” he said, knowing already that the child had changed him too.

“You did not know me before.”

“I know you now, and that is enough.”

Luke saw something stir beneath the water. A fish or a mud creature, he wasn’t sure. But it was flecked in gold, lingering just below the surface like it was frozen behind a pane of glass. The water rippled outwards from it, and then he blinked and it was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a little longer to get out, I just started classes again so I'm probably going to updating weekly from now on. Is this chapter length okay? It's not super long so I could get it out sooner, I hope that's alright. 
> 
> Let me know what you think so far in the comments! Hearing from you guys gives me so much motivation to write <3


	5. Chapter 5

It came about all at once. Feelings he didn’t understand crowded his thoughts and movements. An itch like he was sweating but only on the inside. A sickly feeling in his stomach that he had to clench his teeth against. All grew ten times stronger every time he looked at Din. It’s not something he’s ever had to deal with before, and so at first he thought he was sick. He placed the back of his hand against his forehead, but it wasn’t that.

He couldn’t even get a couple feet away from Din without having to fight back a blush. It was getting desperately embarrassing, but at the same time, Luke welcomed a problem that didn’t seem so challenging. It was nicer to think about Din’s hands tangled in his hair than letting down the entire Jedi race. So, sometimes he indulged that part of him.

Behind his eyes, he travelled into the ship in the dark. Wandered until he found Din’s side, and put a hand on his slowly rising chest. He dared not look at his face. He gave into the part of him that wanted the warmth of arms around him, and imagined them to be Din’s. He didn’t know how to explain it, but it just seemed right in the confines of his mind.

-

Darkness surrounded Luke like a thick blanket draped over his whole body. It hurt his eyes to open them, the inky blackness so empty it made his eyes ache. It was unnaturally dark, Luke thought. He put a hand out, attempting to feel his way forward. Where was he? His brain was foggy and slow and he couldn’t remember where he was supposed to be, what he was doing.

Then came the whispers. Hushed voices touching his ears and sending shivers down his spine. He became aware suddenly of how cold it was. Bone-chillingly so. The whispers gradually grew clear, sharp words entering directly into his brain, and for a moment he wasn’t sure if he was even hearing them or if they were just in his head. They were not friendly.

He felt like he was choking, air would not be taken into his lungs. He tried to reach up to his throat, but he could not find it. The voices continued.

_‘Give in, Luke.’_

_‘Your father did.’_

_‘It would be so easy.’_

They taunted him, glowing promises of nothing more than ghosts. Power, they told him. Freedom, they told him.

Love.

Luke dropped to his knees and clawed desperately at his head, hands digging into his scalp. Then they stopped and left him in a stark silence. The reprieve was so strong Luke almost collapsed, and he cried out with the sudden release. It was not over, though, for someone else had joined him now.

Darth Vader stood over him, hovering menacingly. The shiny black of his armor was barely visible against the rest of the darkness, but Luke could see it. At first he smiled up at his father, glad for his rescue, but something was off. It wasn’t Anakin that joined Luke in his nightmare, not his father. There was the sickening crackle of a light saber leaping to life and red light fell harshly onto Luke’s upturned face. He dared not to close his eyes against it, watching instead as it swung in a deadly arc directly towards his neck. Before his head could be severed from the rest of his body, awareness raced through him.

He woke up gasping for air and clutching at his chest, at his neck. His eyes focused in on the moon-lightened night around him and he was thankful to not feel the darkness pressing against him anymore. Instead, it floated harmlessly around him, and when tears sprung in his eyes and poured over, it was the cover of the darkness that comforted him.

Din found him in the early morning, an hour or two before the sunrise. He hadn’t been able to sleep at all after his nightmare. His face felt heavy, his eyes raw, and his heart sore. The other’s presence sent a wave of warm content through him, and he immediately felt better.

Din sat down next to him, breathing out a short sigh. The edges of Luke’s lips quirked upwards. These were some of his favorite moments.

“Sometimes I wonder if you even sleep at all. You do need sleep, don’t you? It’s not a Jedi thing?” Din asked, breaking the silence between them. A glum laugh fell from Luke’s mouth.

“No,” he said, playfulness biting at his tongue. “Just a me thing, I guess.”

“Any reason why?” Luke resisted the urge to curl away from Din’s prying.

“Nightmares,” he whispered. It felt like a vulnerable thing to admit. Din nodded along, like he understood, but Luke doubted he really did. His nightmares were so much worse on this planet. The Force tangled in his insides and inflamed the worst parts of his subconscious, encouraging the most vivid nightmares he had ever experienced.

They weren’t even real fears, just ghosts of his past that haunted him. Like a kite in the air behind his back, not dragging him down but at the same time always there, lingering behind him and drifting in the air. Maybe one day he’d find the strength to turn around and cut the string. But not today.

“What… what are they about?” Din asked hesitantly, he was trying not to cross any boundaries, Luke could tell. Luke scrunched his face up and brought his arms to hug his own shoulders.

“My father,” he said, voice remaining soft and wispy. “Mostly, they’re old fears. Ones I thought I’d let go, or well, I guess maybe I knew they were still there.”

“That’s the thing about fears, they never really go away,” Din said, not looking at him. His voice had a harshness to it Luke hadn’t heard yet, it drew his eyes to the side of his head.

“I don’t believe that,” Luke said, finding his voice again. “There are many ways a fear can evolve. Sometimes you outgrow them. Sometimes you face them. And sometimes you just forget them.”

“Yet some stay with you for the rest of your life.”

“Yeah.” Luke looked away. “Some stay.” Luke cleared his throat, something was scratching at the back of his brain. “Being afraid isn’t always a bad thing, though. I don’t think so. It’s when you let them rule you that things turn for the worse. That’s what I’m afraid of the most. My father… he let his fears take him away from everything. That’s what scares me the most. I guess I’m afraid of fear itself, how contrary.” Luke chuckled morbidly and shook his head.

“Your father, what happened to him?” Din was much bolder in his curiosities than Luke was. Luke dug his chin into his knees.

“He’s dead,” Luke said, his voice dropping once again to a gentle lilt. He heard Din’s quick intake of breath.

“I’m sorry,” He said.

“Of course. Everyone always is. But the truth is, it’s alright. I don’t harbor any resentment towards him, and he was never in my life in the first place.” Din chose not to respond to that, instead laying out a new deck of cards.

“My parents died when I was very young. Before my eyes. If it wasn’t for the Mandalorians, I would also be dead.” Luke nodded sympathetically.

“Well, aren’t we a lovely pair?” Luke asked, sending him a weary grin. He heard a low laugh resonate from next to him and it felt like a fuzzy blanket on a cold day.

“We most definitely are, Luke.” Luke turned away from him to stare at the ground, hair falling in front of his face to hide his affection-filled eyes and genuine smile.

A few minutes later Din stood up and brushed himself off, then offered a hand to Luke. He took it gratefully and let Din pull him up off the ground. He savored the feeling of their hands together. They faced each other silently, both lingering, reluctant to return to cold beds and lonely darkness. Luke watched the way Din turned away from him slowly, feet sticking to the ground and moving slow as molasses. He almost said something, but he didn’t know what it would be.

“Get some sleep, if you can,” Din said. Luke sent him off with a halfhearted gesture and stared a his back, imagining a night where he walked side by side with him into the ship and didn’t return until morning.

-

Luke stretched his limbs eagerly in the afternoon light. He had only gotten a couple hours of fitful sleep, but it was better than nothing. He ignored the tug of tiredness and bounced around the camp. It was training time, but this for the first time it was Din in front of him and not Grogu.

_‘Wanna watch?’_ Luke asked, sending a goofy smile Grogu’s way. Of course he did. Luke laughed lightheartedly and turned to Din, bracing himself against the way his heart tremored. “Alright. Let’s get started, shall we?”

“What do you want me to do?” He asked, shifting uncomfortably across from him. Luke smiled comfortingly at him and bit his lip.

“Well, you should probably get out the dark saber.” Luke let a giggle slip between his lips. He thought Din might be flustered, fumbling with the hilt of his weapon. He grasped it far too tightly and pulled it out, holding it like he didn’t trust it to not start making it’s own decisions. It was obvious Din wasn’t comfortable with the weapon, likely, he hadn’t even used it yet. “Din, are you afraid of it?” Luke asked, gesturing towards the saber.

Din took a deep breath. “No.” Luke nodded firmly.

“Then why are you holding it like that? You’re strangling it!” Luke broke into a fit of giggles, stepping forward easily. He reached for the hand holding the weapon and touched it hand gently- gloved hand on gloved hand. Briefly Luke wished there were no leather in between, and butterflies erupted in his stomach. He tried not to let it show, instead correcting his grip on the hilt.

“Like this, you see. Thumbs on opposite sides. Don’t let one hand press to hard into the hilt- your hand will start to cramp, trust me. Balance the weight evenly, let it rest lightly against your palms and let gravity do most of the work.” Luke could feel Din’s eyes on him even through the visor, like a burning on his skin. Din adjusted his fingers on the weapon in the way Luke had instructed and Luke grinned up at him.

“Like that?” Din asked. He sounded unsure, uncomfortable with the lack of control over the situation. Luke delighted in throwing him off his game.

“Just like that,” he said, gaze lingering on the other for a moment too long. He tore away and backed up to a safe distance, pulling his light saber out and demonstrating how he held it the same way. He clicked it on and let it loop through the air while it got comfortable in his hands.

He took it slow, swinging lazy attacks at Din, allowing him to block and feel the pressure of the sabers against each other. Slowly, Din shook off the rusty awkwardness of his blows and began to possess his weapon with more elegance. When he thought he was ready, Luke interjected corrections and advised on betterments in his stance. They flowed against each other, playing carefully with the ebb and flow of offense and defense.

“See, like a dance,” Luke said, a sly grin coming to rest on his mouth. They didn’t break their rhythm as he talked, and he was directing his words mostly towards Grogu. “Back and forth. Push and pull. When I leap forward, you step back. When you swing high, I duck low. Move with your opponent, learn how they fight, then turn it against them.” Luke felt the calm of the Force flush through his system and drank it in deeply. Without thinking he closed his eyes, felt Din falter, then regain his confidence when Luke didn’t miss a beat. He didn’t need eyes to see.

“So, you’re teaching me how to kick your ass, is what I’m hearing?” Din asked. He grunted with a particularly quick strike. Luke cracked an eye open at him.

“Funny that you think you’d even be able to catch my ass,”

“I think you’d be surprised, Jedi.” Luke hummed and closed his eyes again, the world felt lighter on his shoulders when Din was around.

“I would love to be surprised.”

-

Grogu was wandering again. Luke watched him with fond eyes as he dithered around the edge of the clearing, not quite wanting to dive into the underbrush. The child’s head tilted back and forth in the way he did when he was especially happy. A smile fitted onto Luke’s lips and he sat down, crossing his legs loosely under him. He ran a hand through his own sweaty hair, ruffling the mousy blonde strands.

_‘Flower!’_

_‘What?’_ Luke’s brow furrowed and he looked to the side at Grogu. In his hand was a small flower dawning pastel pink blooms. He hadn’t noticed the small flowers dotting the mossy floor, but they were quite pretty. Grogu brought it over to him and dropped it in his lap, then was off again. Luke huffed a laugh and shook his head once in surprise.

He picked up the blossom that was draped over his knee and delicately rubbed the petals between his thumb and forefinger. It was silky against his skin and left a golden pollen stain on his finger pads.

_‘More and more and more,’_ Grogu said. He was already bringing another over to Luke, this one a pale sunset orange. Luke took it from his hand. The child was absolutely preoccupied with gathering the flowers, in the most endearing way, and Luke wasn’t going to interrupt that, so he just smiled and accepted them all.

He was gaining quite the collection, his lap littered with them and many having fallen onto the ground around him. Grogu was coming at him with another and Luke couldn’t help but let his head fall back with a laugh. Luke dropped his back to the ground, spreading his limbs and giggling uncontrollably as Grogu picked up petals and weaved them into his hair and sprinkled them across his chest.

Then the child reached forward and climbed onto his belly, settling into his chest with a tiny yawn. Luke closed his eyes, still grinning like a mad man, and breathed in the sweet scent of the flowers that hung in the air like a perfume. That was how Din found him. Sprawled out in the grass, flowers of all colors adorning his body and decorating the ground around him, and his son blinking sleepily against his chest.

Luke breathed out and opened his eyes, then put a hand on Grogu and sat up. He laughed some more when he shook his head and colored confetti flew out of his hair and drifted in the breeze. Many still stuck in, though, and even when he was laying down for bed that night he would reach up and be met with a wilted yellow bud dug into the roots of his hair.

When Luke finally acknowledged the man staring at him, a light blush dusted his cheeks and nose. Din’s reaction was delayed long after Luke called out to him. Finally though, he walked over and took the child from his arms, then left to put him down for a nap.

-

Everything important seemed to happen at night. Luke didn’t know why that was, perhaps there was something secretive about the dark. Something that coaxed out the secrets and made them realities.

At that time Luke found himself trying to remember what Din’s face looked like. It had been so long and so many things had been condensed between then in his head that he couldn’t picture it anymore besides a few loose details. The dark curls of his hair, the shape of his face. But that was it. Each time he got close, the memory slipped away from him. It danced just beyond his grasp, tickled against his fingertips.

Like he always did when he couldn’t sleep, he went to sit by the ugly river, and waited in patient hope that Din would find him. Somehow, the man always showed up, knowing exactly when he was there. It was becoming a habit for the two of them, happening more and more frequently. Luke welcomed the approach of footsteps behind him.

Din sat next to him in the way he always did. A quiet moment passed between the two and something struck Luke idly, remembering why he had come out here in the first place.

“If it gives you any reflief, Din, I can’t remember what you look like anymore,” he said, the words slipping out of his mouth like a waterfall. He wasn’t even sure if Din was following him, the train of though was so choppy.

Din sat there silently. It unnerved Luke when he did that. He heard him take a deep breath in with a hiss from under the helmet and for a split second it reminder him of someone else. That memory, too, flitted away before it could leave him with more than a pang of sadness in his chest. Somewhere in him, Luke hoped that Din would take his helmet off completely, and remind him once again, but he did not. He didn’t even speak, and Luke’s heart dropped with a rush of despair he hadn’t known was waiting to fall. It was too much for him.

Luke stood up, looking to the ground, shifting from heel to heel, then turned to walk away from the awkward mess he had created. A hand stopped him and pulled him back around, and now Din was standing too. He was completely in his space and Luke felt staggeringly dizzy with the closeness. He stared, wide eyed, up into the mask, his mouth parted slightly in shock. Then, the visor glinted and shifted and Luke felt the cool touch of metal pressing into his forehead. A hand slid lightly around to cup at the base of his neck and his eyes shut as he relaxed into the embrace. He let Din hold their foreheads together for as long as he could handle staying still with his mind jittering like it was.

A vision struck him out of nowhere, with a hefty sense of power, and he blinked his eyes upon a new landscape. Golden light settled around them, but he couldn’t tell where they were, there was someone more important holding his gaze. Din stood a few feet away from him, staring unwavering into him, his helmet tucked safely under his arm and his face exposed under the soft evening light. Luke’s breath faltered and his thoughts slowed.

Despite the close distance, he could not make out the other’s facial features. They were blurred, as though an eraser had slipped over his face and stolen them. He took a desperate step forward, willing his eyes to focus, but nothing changed. He opened his mouth, words of the brink of falling, then the landscape faded into a dark forest green. His head dropped down and he gasped in a breath. In contrast with the bright light from his vision, the forest seemed dark and oppressive.

Din was gone. Luke didn’t know when he had left, but he felt painfully alone. The embrace had been almost enough. Almost enough to last. But he couldn’t even kid himself with the lie that it hadn’t opened up something else entirely in him. A part of him that had been sealed off for so long that the briefest of prodding caused a swirling of bone-deep ache in him. He pressed the palm of his hand hard against his chest, right above his heart, trying to dampen the painful longing.

Luke wondered if it was just the loneliness of the planet that was getting to him, and if that was why he wanted to touch Din so desperately. He wanted to feel the cold, slick metal of his armor beneath his fingers, to feel the contrasting warmth of his skin. To see him, stripped of it fully, and bare to him of all barriers. It simmered in him like a pot set to boil.

Luke felt nauseous. The thoughts were too much for him, too much darkness laced in their graces. The temptation was too strong to be good, every bone in his body ached with a deep confusion and desire. He remember the words from his nightmares, the promise of a freedom to love that they had whispered in his ear. He would not allow himself to have Din, or he would sooner be a Sith than a Jedi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI I think this is my favorite chapter so far!! SOrry about the ending don't hate me we all know Luke can't resist Din for very long. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as I did :D 
> 
> Also, thank you to everyone who has left comments so far you guys make my day so much better every time <3


	6. Chapter 6

Din felt as though he was losing his mind. And really, he must have been, because how else would he have allowed himself to fall so swiftly.

He had never been interested in anyone before, no one had ever caught his eye for as long as he could remember. Love was something he didn’t understand, had always been detached from, figured was not for him. Until now. Until he watched his son reach for that strange blonde haired man with the sparkling blue eyes that held him in place so effortlessly. Until he saw the way Luke cradled him gently, those same cerulean eyes overflowing with a certain tenderness he reserved solely for the child. Until he laughed, high and wild, and it was like rain the way it washed over him. Until their hands brushed and Din’s head rolled like the ocean.

The child had inadvertently taught him how to love, that much he could understand, but he was still very new to the sensation. It was such an overwhelming feeling that often he could barely contain it. It settled right below his skin, threatening to escape at every turn. He was absolutely terrified of it, to the very core of his being, because love, as he had discovered with the child, was the worst weakness a man could hold. But even so, he would not exchange it for the world. In every universe, he knew, he would chose the child, over and over again. Something told him he would also chose Luke, given the chance.

Then there was the tugging that pulled him from his dreams and urged him out of bed. An invisible force that drew him forward and always led him directly to the river bank, always ended in Luke. He didn’t mind it really, because there, under the moon’s drapery, he was at his boldest. His mind fixated on how he had embraced Luke the night before and he sucked a breath in through his teeth. He thought of what it meant to him, his people, and resisted the urge to drag his hand down his face and groan.

He hadn’t really meant to do such a thing, but when Luke had spoken something came over him, the need to prove to him that he sensed the care behind those words and desired to match it. It was the fact that Luke acknowledged how important seeing his face had been, even though he didn’t understand it. He had tried to comfort him anyways. And more than that, Luke had been thinking about him. He had admitted to not just thinking about him but imagining him, trying to picture him. It sent a tingling sensation down Din’s back and made it easier to admit he had been doing the same.

Then again, he remembered Luke’s reaction- or lack thereof. He hadn’t pulled away, which Din would have taken as a good sign, except that he had all but frozen under his grasp. Luke made no attempt to reciprocate, just stood still, hands both draped aimlessly at his side. And when Din had pulled away and looked into his face, there was nothing. He didn’t react at all, as though he wasn’t really seeing anything. He didn’t even call out a goodbye.

-

Luke was keeping his distance. He refused to let his thoughts get out of hand, every time one of them resurfaced he stamped them out with a swift retribution. He spent all of his free time meditating, finding that one of the only ways he could avoid thinking about Din was to not think of anything at all. It was also the only time he could be alone. When he was around Din, he kept his face smoothed behind a mask, completely relaxed and devoid of all emotion. He was a walking statue, empty, and Din noticed it very quickly.

He trailed absently around Luke, waiting for an opportunity, searching for the words to say. He was still nervous around the other, despite it all, or more likely because of it all. The more days that went by the more Din realized there was never going to be an opportunity. He began to match Luke’s standoffishness and return to the confines of his shell. Almost, he thought, someone had brought him fully out of it, but alas, it was not in the cards.

Luke didn’t know what Din’s embrace meant. He had turned it over in his mind delicately for many nights after, trying to understand. He feared just how intimate it really was, refusing to acknowledge that Din was getting just as carried away as Luke was behind the confines of his mind.

They trained in the following days as if they had just met. Things were stale between them, a wall of unspeakable emotions barring each from getting in close. Luke noticed the change in Grogu as well, the energy he sent off was grey and cloudy instead of his usual boundless yellow. They were pulling apart, the three of them, because two were trying to suppress parts of them that would not be suppressed. It was not so easy to cross back over the doorframe as it was to enter in the first place, and now they would not be able to hold back for long.

-

Luke stared up at the night sky and counted the stars he could see through the thick cloud cover. It wasn’t many. The sky was a dark mix of blues and blacks that had always been comforting to Luke. He breathed in slowly through his nose then exhaled out his mouth. He didn’t like the way things were. He didn’t like the way he had been acting, it felt against every grain of his nature, but he didn’t know what to do about it. It seemed he always came back to this same uncertainty.

He thought back to the few times since being here that he had felt absolutely sure in himself, and realized with a drop of his heart that they were always connected to Din. All this time he had been avoiding him, he felt gross and empty. He had thought it was the love that would hurt more, but really it was this. Jedi were supposed to work with their intuition and inner self, weren’t they? So why was he so adamant not to?

Hadn’t he decided that love could not be what caused the dark side to take over? It occurred to him in a terrifying moment, that ignoring his feelings for Din had brought him closer to the evil than if he had just given into them in the first place. This closed-off portion of him, the one that was stoic and uncaring, that was the worst part of him, and he had chosen to let it overtake him. He cupped a hand over his mouth, fighting back a rush of tears.

He had been so stupid. But all was not lost, not yet. Din found him, like he always did, and took a seat next to him. Luke noted the extra space he left between them with a sickening guilt in his stomach. They hadn’t done this since the embrace. Din didn’t speak a word, and they sat in silence. Luke was still finding his voice, searching for the right words to say. Din’s hand rested on the ground between them, and Luke noticed with surprise that he was not wearing gloves as he usually did.

“I’m sorry,” Luke said. Din started, like he hadn’t been expecting Luke’s voice. “I’ve been distant.”

“I know.” Luke felt nerves spike in him.

“Forgive me, I- I do not wish to be anymore.” Din stared at him for a long time.

“There is nothing to forgive,” he whispered. He stood up swiftly and offered a hand down to Luke.

He reached for his hand, fingers touching delicate fingers. It was the first time he had ever felt the touch of Din’s skin on his own, and it took his breath away completely. All the air drained from his lungs and filled with liquid gold. He felt time slow down around him, and his senses grew stronger. He could smell the mist in the air, curling into his nose. Nothing compared to Din’s hand in his. It was meant to be a quick grasp, but just as quickly neither of them wanted to let go.

Luke steeled himself, slowly reeled his hand back, his fingers slid over Din’s until it was just the tips of their fingers lingering together. Luke took a deep breath of air back into his lungs in expectation of the waning warmth, but it did not come. Before their hands could break apart completely Din’s hand darted forward, twisting around and slotting their fingers against each other. Their palms pressed together, fingers linked, and they fit like lock and key.

The warmth of Din’s palm was almost enough to override all of Luke’s systems. It brought him to the brink of risking everything, and for a brief moment he almost let it take him across. His heart surged and his face flushed. He felt vulnerable, exposed, dressed in only the moonlight. Din could watch every emotion flit across his face, while he was faced with nothing but a wall. It felt like a millennia that they stood there and stared at each other silently.

“Luke,” Din’s voice was low and it quavered just the slightest. Luke blinked slowly.

“Yes?” There was too much air in his words, it gave everything away. Din didn’t answer him. He stepped forward, closing the distance between them and tilted his forehead down to rest of top of Luke’s. Luke accepted the gesture he knew nothing about. He let his eyes drift closed and reached up with his other hand. He placed it into the crook in between his chest plate and helmet, the small space where there was nothing but a tunic covering his collarbone.

Luke pressed him impossibly closer, all thoughts fleeing his mind. It was a kind of peace he had never experienced before.

Din never let go of his hand as he led him back to his ship. Luke was antsy, bubbles of anxiety rising in his stomach, but Din’s light touch kept him there. The feeling of safety and justness stayed with him still. They passed quietly by the child asleep in his cradle, and Luke tugged Din to a stop to watch him. The child sleep deeply. Luke glanced away from him and up into Din, a bright smile lighting up his face. Din reached up with his other hand and gingerly touched the line of his jaw.

He swiped his thumb across Luke’s cheek, then hooked two fingers under his chin and tilted his head back. His thumb feathered over Luke’s bottom lip, pausing just barely in the middle. Luke was transfixed, unable to look away from the visor covering Din’s eyes. Every part of him was malfunctioning. He was hyper aware of everywhere Din touched, leaving behind him a trail of skin that tingled.

_‘Family.’_ Luke almost laughed from the shock of it. The word clear and ringing in his head. He turned his head an infinitesimal amount towards Grogu and Din’s hand dropped from his face. He was sitting up in the cradle, staring blearily at the two of them.

_‘Always,’_ Luke said, with a small smile. _‘Sleep now, child.’_

Grogu’s ear twitched and he easily fell back into his slumber. Din chuckled softly, the sound falling much closer to Luke’s ear than he expected, and he shivered. He pulled Luke into his bedroom slowly, carefully. Luke followed obediently, going wherever Din took him. He sat on the edge of the bed and watched the other man. He was unsure, but not uncomfortable. It was a genuine curiosity, there was not a molecule of bad air between the two, not a split second of turning back.

Din drew him down into the bed and Luke collapsed into his arms. Din had not taken his armor off, but Luke had not expected him to. Din sat, back against the wall, with Luke in-between his legs, and they stayed like that all night long. It was not a night for sleep, they both knew. It was a night in which they drunk deeply from the heat of each other, and learned what it was like to share space with another body. They didn’t need to converse when their souls were already speaking fluently.

-

When the morning light stung across his eyelids and left his vision stained, Luke decided it was a day-off. He and Din were both sleep-deprived, running off of the lingering closeness with which they had spent the whole night. Grogu was just as excited as the two of them to deviate from the routine, spinning around in circles and making happy noises. Luke laughed airily and moved past.

He made tea for all of them, finding the small cup he had been using for the child. He passed it to Grogu, who was sitting in Din’s lap and eagerly reaching for the cup, then handed Din his own. He crossed his legs and leaned his back against a thick tree trunk. The tea was sweet and citrusy across his tongue and he felt the heat glide all the way down his throat. He held the mug to his chest and breathed in the steam coming off of it in waves. He closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the tree too, thinking that if he pretended hard enough the warmth against his chest could be something other than a mug of tea.

When he opened his eyes and looked up again, Din was watching him in the same way he always did. Luke didn’t break eye contact as he lifted the tea to his mouth and took a sip. There was a coy glint in his eye and a smirk when he lowered the mug from his lips. He could almost see the playful glare behind the mask as Din lifted his mug in cheers then set it on the ground. Din didn’t eat or drink around him, it was just another part of their lives at this point. Luke pouted at him anyways.

“I can leave,” Luke said. “If you want to drink it.” He vaguely gestured with one hand to the cup on the ground. Din was silent for a moment in thought.

“No, it’s alright.” He reached for the mug again with one hand and brought it up to his face, with the other he pulled up the helmet just enough so that his mouth peered out. He took a generous sip then set it down again and let the mask slide back into place. Luke couldn’t help but watch him closely over his own cup with wide eyes.

“You’re staring,” Din said. Luke broke out into a grin and forced his eyes to shift away.

“Shut up,” he said softly. Grogu looked back and forth between them and cooed.

_‘Good tea,’_ he said. Luke’s face lit up. He prided himself on making an excellent cup of tea.

_‘Thank you, Grogu!’_

“Someone appreciates my tea,” Luke said aloud, voice raising in jest. Din’s head snapped to him, and Luke felt bad for a moment. He tried to be sensitive about Grogu’s words to him, he couldn’t imagine what it felt like to not be able to hear your son’s voice. Din put a hand on Grogu’s head protectively.

“He likes it?” There was vulnerability in the question. Luke’s eyes softened and his joke died in his throat. He nodded. Din was quiet again and Luke got the feeling he was thinking about him.

They soon finished their tea, and with the warm comfort of it and the simmering daylight, Luke was pleasantly sleepy. Through lidded eyes he looked over at Din and let out a small yawn. From Din’s posture, he could tell the other was feeling the effects of the night before as well.

“Din,” He called out gently. Din’s head turned to him slowly and tilted to the side in a way Luke thought was positively endearing. He stared at him, willing him to come closer without words, and somehow it worked. Din stood up, stretched his stiff limbs like a cat, then came to sit next to Luke. Grogu toddled after him and plopped onto the ground beside them.

Luke immediately rested his head on Din’s shoulder, ignoring the bite of the armor against his neck. Din sighed deeply, all the tension leaving his body, and he moved his hand to lay on Luke’s knee. Luke squirmed in place, not quite getting comfortable, until Din let out a low chuckle and pushed him away carefully. Luke’s eyes shot to him with a terrible hurt in them, but Din continued to maneuver him until his head lay gently in his lap. Flush rushed into Luke’s cheeks, but he gladly accepted the new position.

Din pulled his glove off and trailed his index finger across the side of Luke’s face and into his hair. His slender fingers threaded through the soft tufts and lulled him into a state of pure bliss. The sunlight fell around them in a halo of golden light that was unusual for the groggy planet. It glittered off the blades of grass and pretty petals of fallen flowers. Din felt Grogu lean into his side and he wrapped his free hand around his small frame. He let his head rest back against the tree behind him and breathed deeply in the feeling of his family tucked in close.

-

Once they finally broke down the levies of uncertainty, their affection flowed freely and passionately. It was all swift touches and the sharing of space. Luke waited patiently for Din to take the next step, but before then, the most they did was enjoy each other’s company. Luke knew that when Din was finally ready to take his helmet off, he would be there waiting for him. He imagined the day with a ripening excitement, because now he had more to look forward to than just a face. He was looking forward to having every part of Din, to kissing his lips and running his hand across exposed skin. He would wait forever, if he had to.

The breaking point came on a night where they retired to bed together. It had been a long day, and they were both tired. They talked leisurely, drifting closer with each bout of laughter. Until finally, Din couldn’t stand it anymore, he had exhausted his self-control to the point of no return. The room was dim, just a candle lit in the corner that threw deep shadows across their figures. He let his hands drift across Luke’s body, naked fingers trailing across his chest. Luke shivered beneath him, breath catching in his throat, and it made Din’s body react with a vicious need to press further. He watched Luke through the shaded visor of his helmet, his eyelids sunken low and the blood rushing through him quieting the scorn from his conscience.

He was tired of seeing Luke through a window. He could have been a figment of his imagination for all Din was able to see of him, he felt far away. He brought his fingers up to trace Luke’s jaw and caress his cheek. Luke’s eyes fluttered closed at the touch. This man beneath him had the ability to pull him completely undone.

He made the decision in a brash wave of desire, but he would not regret it later. With his other hand he gripped the bottom of his helmet, and without giving himself a split second to think better of it, he ripped the helmet off and let it drop onto the mattress beside them. Luke, whose eyes were still closed, froze under him. He had heard the signature click of the armor disconnecting, felt the gentle breeze against his face from the swoosh of Din’s arm, and the thump of the heavy thing beside him. He exhaled a shaky breath and opened his eyes.

Din stared back at him, rich brown eyes searching his, and a small gasp fell from his mouth. Din’s cheeks were flushed, his hair hanging down in curls slick with sweat, and he was looking at Luke like he wanted to devour him. Luke soaked in his face for as long as he could, eyes never leaving it. Din lowered his head tentatively towards Luke, but Luke stopped him with a hand on his chest. Din’s eyebrows scrunched up and Luke smiled in wonder at being able to _see_ him react for the first time.

“The rest of it,” he said softly. “I want all of you.” A dark glint passed through Din’s eyes as he registered the words. Then he was gone, lifting himself off of Luke and suddenly he felt cold without the other near him. He propped himself up to watch as Din stripped himself of his armor completely. His hands moved with the precision of someone who had done so a million times. Din shed the layer of solitude and transformed before Luke’s eyes. Finally, they were equals in everything. It was just the two of them, liberated of all barriers, and they could see nothing else.

Luke blinked and Din was hovering over him again. He grinned and grabbed Din’s chin then pulled him down. Their lips met and Luke’s chest exploded with glowing euphoria. His whole body felt like it was on fire, his skin burning everywhere they touched. He almost cried from the deep wanting inside him and how long it had been clambering to get free. He moved languidly against Din, letting their lips find a rhythm while he grew used to the feeling. Din’s lips were soft and hot against his, pushing and pulling desperately.

When he moved back, Luke’s lips tingled and he had to force himself to take deep breaths of air. They stayed close, only an inch between their faces.

“Luke,” Din said, his voice rumbling and cracking. Luke could barely make any sense of the word, his head was filled with clouds. “There is no part of me you don’t own.” He grabbed Luke’s hand, wrapped his steady fingers around it, and lifted it to his chest. He pressed Luke’s palm into the space where his heart lay buried. Luke scrunched up his fingers and clasped the fabric of his undershirt. He couldn’t find any words, so he dragged him down and kissed him again, more passionately this time. He opened his mouth against Din’s and breathed in the very essence of the man in front of him.

The night air shimmered around them and Luke lost himself completely in the radiance of their bodies pressed closer than they had ever been before. He had never been so warm, from head to toe his insides buzzed and his heart thrummed in his ribcage. Nothing had ever felt so right.

Din gently pried his hand off of his chest, then pinned it down onto the pillow next to Luke. His body maneuvered over Luke to press him down further, not a millimeter of space between them. Din’s lips left his and dipped down to his neck. His teeth scraped lightly at the sensitive skin below his ear and Luke let out a whine before he could stop himself. He felt Din smile into his neck, then he bit down with a sharp dart of pain that quickly blended in with all of the other wonderful feelings racing through him. It was incredible.

Everything Din did was ceaseless, driving Luke to the brink of insanity with how badly he wanted it. It was the most marvelous form of torture. He never wanted it to end.

He fell asleep that night pressed against Din’s chest, arms pulling him into a tight embrace. It was warm, safe, and Luke easily slipped into a deep sleep.

-

Something tingled against the back of his neck. The air around him crackled, starkly black. Luke thought for a moment he was back in a nightmare, but something was not quite the same. His stomach twisted and he dug his fist into it. A loud scream ripped through him and vibrated against his skull. His eyes widened and he stumbled a step forward. He recognized who it was immediately.

‘Luke! I need help.’ The words rang desperately in every space of his mind. The expanse of darkness around him shifted, like he was opening his eyes and he saw a the shine of white armor.

In the next moment he was gasping awake, screaming himself, clutching his head desperately and rocking back and forth. Din jolted awake next to him and grabbed at his shoulders. Luke could barely focus on anything around him, Leia’s words playing over and over again in his ears, her voiced laced in pain.

“What’s wrong, Luke. Look at me.” Din tilted his chin up so that he was looking into his eyes. Luke’s pulse slowed in the familiarity of his irises.

“My sister, something bad’s happened.” His words slurred together and scratched his throat. As the adrenaline was leeched from his body, he began to feel exhaustion kicking in. His eyes blinked rapidly and his shoulders swayed slightly before he collapsed backwards into slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh hi!!! Sorry this one was a little later than usual, but it's a bit longer too so I hope that makes up for it :) I also wanted this to be a Valentines Day special, I hope you all had a lovely day <3
> 
> Please let me know what you think! Also, do you guys want some... explicit scenes? Or do we prefer just fluff? Please lmk I feel kind of clueless


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mature content warning for this one!!!

Din watched Luke uneasily, brushing his fingers through his hair while he waited for him to wake up. He had slept fitfully after Luke’s episode, too freaked out to fully settle. He had eventually given up completely. He didn’t like the way Luke had passed out and couldn’t shake the fear that if he wasn’t watching he might never awake. He pulled Luke’s limp body into him, resting him between his legs with his head on his chest. He pressed his lips to the top of Luke’s hair and breathed in the earthy scent of soil he always seemed to carry with him.

It was so easy, they way they had fallen into each other. Din closed his eyes. His stomach was broiling with anxiety. The only thing keeping him sane was the rhythmic movements of Luke’s chest as he breathed, reminding him that he still lived. The sight of him, so weak in his arms, was heartbreaking. He looked fragile. With an ache in his heart he tightened his arms around Luke’s frame and tucked his chin over his head.

His mind was reeling with the possibilities of what he had said before passing out. He realized that this was probably the last bit of time they would spend alone there together. He understood that Luke would be leaving. If Luke wanted, though, he would follow and help. It wasn’t even in the realm of his imagination that he would let Luke go on his own. But he didn’t know what had happened yet, and so he tried to cast those thoughts out of his mind.

Still, he wished they had more time. He never wanted to let go of Luke, of their little bubble of privacy. He knew loving was not easy, and that falling for a Jedi came with a whole slew of challenges, but it terrified him all the same.

It was hours before Luke finally stirred. He pried his eyes open and found that the daylight had already been spun for many hours. He felt sore all over, his throat and eyes dry. He coughed and pressed his palms into the sockets of his eyes. Din made a small noise behind him and suddenly he remembered how to breathe again. Just his presence brought such an overwhelming steadiness to Luke.

He opened his eyes again, this time they stung less against the light streaming in through the window, and blinked in search of Din’s face. He twisted around and found the man behind him. A soft smile touched his lips as he reached a hand up to Din’s cheek. He was still in awe of being able to see and feel him. Din leaned into Luke’s palm, his eyelids fluttering. Luke watched him with honeyed eyes.

Then the world came crashing down on his shoulders, and he remembered why his body was so slow to awake. A strangled sob leapt from his chest and Din’s eyes flew open. He felt like he was being torn in two, half of him wanting to rocket out of the bed and into his X-wing to find his sister, the other half unwilling to leave Din’s presence. He sat there are stared at Din, who was waiting for him to speak.

“I have to go,” Luke said. His voice was so soft Din wouldn’t have heard it if he hadn’t already known the words spilling from his mouth. Din recognized the reluctance in him, saw the way he cared about him, and it soothed any anxiety left in him. He nodded and grabbed one of Luke’s hands. He squeezed it tight and Luke squeezed back.

“I know. It’s alright, go, but I would come with you.” A weary grin appeared on Luke’s face.

“Of course,” he said, like now that Din had said it, it was obvious. Luke sat up straighter, his Jedi stature overtaking him, and the fragile man who had laid lifeless in his arms disappeared completely. There stood the strong and cunning mad he had fallen in love with. “You’ll take the child away. You have someone he can go to?”

Din nodded, he could think of one person. “Excellent. Take him there, and meet me on Chandrila. We’ll resolve this quickly and return to the training.” The unspoken words were _and us too_.

He leaned forward and brushed a brown curl away from the side of Din’s face, his hand lingering there.

“Thank you, Din.”

“We’ll resolve this quickly,” Din repeated. Luke briefly noted the difference in his voice now that it was empty of the helmet’s reverb. It was warmer, softer. He dipped down and kissed Din. He would never get used to the wonderful feeling, the way Din opened up underneath him and poured warmth into him. He didn’t want to pull away, didn't want the moment to end or to leave him.

-

Din took Grogu to the only person he could think of to handle him for the time being. Cara was waiting for him when he landed on Nevarro, having received his urgent message.

“I’m not sure if I’m surprised to see you back so soon or so late. What happened on that planet? And where’s the kid’s teacher? I’d love to talk to that bad ass.”

“Long story, for another time,” Din said, awkwardly standing before her. Finally, Cara shrugged and reached out for the child.

“I’ll take good care of him, you know that.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t have left him with you otherwise.” He touched the top of Grogu’s head affectionately and sighed. He told himself he wasn’t going to leave him again, and here he was, abandoning him. The pull to stay with him was so strong he almost didn’t move away, but he had a duty to Luke that he would not give up. He whispered a soft goodbye and took a step back.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” she said. Din scoffed and turned on his heel, stalking away. He was eager to return to Luke’s side.

“Do I ever?” He heard Cara laughing from behind him as he climbed back into his ship.

-

Luke’s heart stopped when he saw the billowing smoke curling up into the clouds. He flew past the burnt remains of buildings, some still smoldering. He could feel the distress hanging in the air, and it made his stomach turn. Chandrila had always been beautiful, with its rolling hills and emerald seas, but now it didn’t feel that way.

He approached the Senate House in search of his sister, feet clicking on the marble flooring and resounding against the high ceilings. He still remembered exactly how to get to Leia’s suite, his feet moved almost by themselves tracing the path he had taken so many times before. He didn’t bother knocking, he already knew Leia wasn’t there. The place was empty and dark. From what he could see there were no sighs of struggle, nothing even slightly out of the ordinary. He didn’t know if she had even been here, or at the cabin by the beach.

There were footsteps approaching from down the hall. Relief flooded into him when he recognized whose they were. He spun around, his cloak floating and twisting around him. His face broke and he dashed forward to wrap his arms around Han, who was just as warm and sturdy as always.

“Hey there, kid.”

“Han,” Luke mumbled into his shirt. He had forgotten how much he missed him. Han was and always would be his best friend. He put a hand on the back of Luke’s head and hugged him back.

“It’s good to see you.”

“What happened?” Luke asked, pulling away. Han’s eyes were glassy. Luke had never seen him cry before, he was always the one cracking jokes at the worst of times.

“They took her, Luke.” His voice broke.

“Who?” Han shook his head.

“We don’t really know. I’m sure you’ve noticed the aftermath though. They came blasting through the city, we’ve asked around, they didn’t take anyone but her.”

“Why Leia?”

“I don’t know. It came as a shock to pretty much everyone. We didn’t think we had anymore enemies out there powerful enough to do us harm.”

“Well, they were mistaken if they thought we would just let them take her. We’re going to get her back,” Luke said with a firm nod of his head. He came off as confident, bold, but inside he worried about what they would do to her before they could get there. Han breathed a long sigh.

“Exactly. They won’t know what hit ‘em. It’s time we got the gang back together.”

Luke grinned guiltily. “Plus one.” Han narrowed his eyes.

“What do you mean plus one?”

“The Mandalorian. He’s going to meet us here, he’s coming with us.”

“You mean the one who took in the kid you’ve been teaching?” Luke nodded and Han stared at him suspiciously. “Alright,” he said, drawing the word out.

“We need to go talk to the other Senators, there has to be something we can find out about these people,” Luke said. He moved to turn around and leave, but a heavy hand on his shoulder stopped him. Han looked down at him with an unreadable expression.

“There’s something else you should know.” He shifted and bit down on his bottom lip nervously. “Leia’s pregnant.”

Luke thought his eyes might pop out of his head. Those were the last words he expected to come from Han’s mouth.

“What! How long have you known?”

“Maybe two months.” Luke gaped at him.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“She wanted to wait and tell you in person, it meant a lot to her. But, I just… this is more important than just her. That’s my child too.”

“Your child,” Luke repeated faintly. He was staring over Han’s shoulder, into a place on the wall. An image of Grogu burned in his mind.

-

When Din finally arrived, Luke felt it. A rush of ecstasy through his chest that spread out into his limbs. It was the feeling of home condensed into his veins. He had been talking to Han, discussing their plans, when a huge smile overtook his face. Han glanced at him, then did a double take. Before he could even ask, Luke was off. He moved quickly and with deliberation towards the loading dock.

Din was speaking with one of the attendants. Luke slowed his pace, trying to avoid suspicion. It was weird to see Din outside of their little bubble. In public, things felt weird, different, and it made him hesitate. Still, he reached from Din, stepping in next to him. He felt the energy around the other change, morph into something red and pulsing. The other turned to him and they stared in silence for a moment at each other. Luke couldn’t contain the smile on his face, despite the barrier of company and armor that stood between them.

Behind him, Han ran to catch up. He shared a confused look with the attendant before sending her away. Din’s eyes flicked away from Luke’s to look at Han and Luke glanced over his shoulder.

“Han! This is the Mandalorian. I told you he would be meeting us here.”

“Right…” Han said, looking between the two of them.

“Mando,” Din said, giving a firm nod in place of a handshake. Han gave a half smile.

“Nice to meet you. Now, we should probably get a move on.”

They had found a lead on the people who had kidnapped Leia. Activity on a planet in the outer rim. It was risky, but it was worth a shot. They took the Millennium Falcon, for old times sake, and even though Din had scoffed when he first saw it, he agreed when he saw the way Luke beamed at the ratty, old thing.

-

“So,” Han started when they were finally alone. Luke was busying himself with the ship’s controls. The Millennium Falcon was not a _nice_ ship per se, but he was really just using it as a distraction.

“What?” Luke asked. He could hear the playful tone in Han’s voice. He chanced a look up at him and saw the sly grin that was permanently on his face. Luke bit his lip.

“What’s up with you and…” he gestured with his chin to the doorway. Luke blushed and turned away.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Luke crossed the control room and pretended to inspect the wall panel.

“Oh, I think you do.” Han’s tone was teasing. Luke scoffed and tried to laugh it off, but it came out nervously.

“Well-”

“So there is something! I knew it! You never act like that around people.”

“Act like what?” Luke turned around and leaned his back against the wall.

“Like a puppy,” Han said, laughing and shaking his head. “You used to be like that all the time, now you’re all Jedi and stuff.” The smile dropped from Luke’s face.

“What?” He asked, his voice wavering slightly.

“Yeah, I thought that was obvious. Once you started taking the Jedi thing seriously you changed. It’s kind of refreshing to see you act like that again.” Han walked over and ruffled his hair. “I missed ya kid.”

Luke grinned sheepishly and ducked his head. “Yeah, yeah. I missed you, too. Don’t get all mushy on me.”

“Me? I wouldn’t dream of it.”

-

Han disappeared into the captain’s quarters for the night and Din followed Luke to the crew’s quarters. Luke wondered fleetingly if Han would be lonely without his wife, but he didn’t dwell on it. The idea of him being upset made Luke uncomfortable. The two didn’t really go together.

Luke sat on the edge of one of the small beds and stared blankly ahead of him. He was thinking about Han’s words from earlier. How being a Jedi had sapped the spirit from him. He tried to pin point when it had happened, the moment that he had lost his spark, but it was long gone.

He shook his head and trailed his eyes around the room until he found Din. He was looking away, slowly undoing his armor and placing it neatly on one of the other beds. When he turned around Luke was pouting at him with sad eyes.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” He asked, a light chuckle slipping out. He raised the helmet off of his head and shook out his hair, then placed it next to the rest. He watched the exact moment Luke’s eyes filled with wonder, then drained into admiration. Luke would never get enough of seeing his face.

He stood up and walked closer to him, then reached up and ran his fingers through Din’s hair. Din let his head hang in Luke’s fingers, sighing happily into the touch. They were about the same height, but Din was just the slightest bit taller. Luke raised up on his tip toes and pressed a kiss to Din’s nose. Din reacted immediately by wrapping his arms around Luke’s waist and pulling him in close.

He dipped his head down and pressed their foreheads together, making up for all the lost time they had missed out on during the day. It was surprising to think that only a mere 24 hours ago they had been on Dagobah still, just the three of them, happy and blissful. The gesture was more intimate without the helmet separating them. Luke could feel the hot vapor Din breathed out all around his face. He closed his eyes, he was tired and it felt good to finally let them drift shut.

A slow grin spread across Luke’s face and he pulled back. Then with no warning, he kissed Din passionately. Din jumped from the shock of it, then relaxed and kissed Luke back just as fervently. Luke twisted his fingers in Din’s hair and Din moved a hand to rest on the side of his neck. Luke was the one to deepen the kiss, opening his mouth while Din snuck his tongue in just the barest bit. It was deep and needy and when they finally pulled away, they were both panting and flushed.

“I need to take a shower,” Din whispered, his lips brushing Luke’s. He moved away, leaving Luke confused and cold. He paused a step before the door and turned around, smiling cheekily. “Well, are you coming with?”

Luke’s eyes sparkled and he grinned right back. Din reached out to take his hand and they turned and headed towards the refresher.

The water was hot, making Luke forget all of the stresses of his life. They just washed away down the drain, and he was thankful, because he had much more consuming things to be preoccupied with. Din, for the most part. His mouth was slippery and warm everywhere it landed. Luke was starting to feel that overwhelming fire in him that drove him crazy. With every kiss to his neck, it filled his mind with more and more smoke. His mouth hung open and hot water poured into it and down his chin. A desperate whine rung out and it was a moment before Luke realized it was his own. Din’s eyes were glossed over when he hovered in front of Luke’s face. Luke’s head tilted back until it hit the bathroom wall.

Slowly, Din ran his finger down his jawline, then his neck. He painted over the red and purple bruises he had left. Fuck, he was beautiful. And the sounds he made, those drove Din right over the edge. He wanted to hear more of them. His hand drifted lower, hesitating on the outer side of Luke’s thigh. Luke’s hand snapped up to tug at Din’s hair. He kissed him sloppily.

“Yes,” he whispered against Din’s skin. His words felt breathy, like they were barely there. “Please.”

Din grabbed him with feather gentle fingers. Luke gasped loudly, his breath stuttering on the way out.

“Oh my God,” he breathed out. Din’s hand moved up and down slowly, torturing him. Luke grabbed frantically at the tiled wall behind him. He dug his fingers into Din’s hair and yanked his head closer. He poised his lips over Din’s, small noises escaping his mouth with each movement of Din’s hand.

“Yeah?” Din said. His voice was deep with hunger, making things so much harder for Luke. Luke moaned softly and Din moved his lips with him, kissing Luke just the barest amount.

“Please, fuck. Din, I-“ Luke couldn’t get a full thought out. He was way too focused on what was going on down below. It wasn’t enough.

“Use your words,” Din said. Luke flung his head back again, and Din flitted forward to ghost along his neck. When he bit down on his skin, Luke couldn’t stop the deep whine that left him. Din licked the spot and Luke’s eyes fluttered shut. Suddenly, Din’s lips were back on his. He kissed him harder this time, pushing fiercely against Luke and moving his hand faster.

Pleasure raced through Luke’s veins, golden and fiery. He cried out, biting down on his bottom lip hard as it tore through him. It was so strong he could think of nothing else, until finally his vision blurred and he rounded the arc. He breathed hard through his mouth, chest rising and falling and his head hung forward tiredly. His slick hair fell in shards around his face, darkened from the water. Din nudged his chin up and he accepted a gentle kiss. His body felt overtired, like he had run for hours. His brain was cloudy with the remnants of lust. Din’s fingertips danced across his upper arm.

Finally, Luke pulled himself together. He lifted a hand and swiped the hair out of his face. He looked at Din through half-open eyes. Din looked mildly proud of himself, smirking down on Luke. Luke wanted to change that, and the corner of his mouth twitched upwards as he thought about all the ways he could. He didn’t break eye contact as he slowly slid down the wall and dropped to his knees in front of Din.

Din’s smirk quickly dropped and his eyes widened, jaw going slack. Luke loved the effect he had on him. More than that, he loved the way Din’s face scrunched up and he groaned, low and guttural, when Luke licked a stripe down the shaft of his cock. He had half a mind to tease Din just as much as he had teased him, but then his hand was on the back of his head and Din was shoving him down onto his dick.

Luke spluttered and choked for a minute, his eyes watering, before he regained control of himself and took over. He had never done this before, but he didn’t let that show. He wanted to do good for Din, no matter if he choked a little on the way down. He used his hand to fist what he couldn’t take down, and slowly he figured out how to use the two in time to make Din’s head spin and his toes curl. It wasn’t long before Din was pulling away and coming down the drain.

He dragged Luke up by his chin and kissed him selfishly, loving the taste of himself on his lips. Luke’s fingers trailed along his hips and they kissed lazily until they realized how long they had actually been in there. They washed off quickly then dried off even quicker, not bothering to redress. Luke’s eyelids were heavy and his feet dragged across the floor. He just wanted to lay in bed and pass out. His whole body felt pleasantly good.

Din laid down first, opening his arms for Luke to curl up in. Luke felt warm and safe in them. He took in a deep breath, inhaling their scents combined. The soft movement of Din’s chest behind him was like a lullaby, and he was so sleepy. Din pulled the blanket over them and it was fluffy and cozy. Din’s skin was hot and stuck to him everywhere they touched- his arms around his chest, their legs tangled together. Everything was comfortable, everything was perfect. Until Luke remembered where they were and why and his heart dropped.

As though he could feel it, Din pressed a sweet kiss to the top of his head and squeezed tighter.

“We’re going to find her,” Din said quietly into his hair. “It’s going to be okay.” And with that, Luke fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAAAY. I was going to post this last night, but I wanted to read over it once more to make sure it was good enough for you guys! I love reading your comments, so please please comment!! 
> 
> Also, I know that technically Kylo is a toddler at this point, but this is my story and I'm changing that 🤪


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took a week off sorry guys!
> 
> Fair warning, I just start making shit up from this point on LMAO

For a lovely second after Luke woke up, before he opened his eyes, he thought they were still on Dagobah. He expected to open his eyes and have golden light streaked across his eyelids, dancing across his naked skin. The darkness of the ship’s interior almost hurt in contrast. The room was still dark, only the dim, electric light of the panels on the walls glowing.

His limbs were strewn about and tangled in Din’s, who was still sleeping beside him. A smile ghosted over his lips when he saw the other’s face pressed into the pillow, hair haloed around his head in dark curls. He reached out and ran a hand through them softly, then let his hand drop to caress the pale skin of Din’s face. He didn’t get much sun behind the armor. Luke’s own skin had begun to pale from the lack of light on Dagobah.

A small noise fell from Din’s mouth and he shuffled beneath Luke’s touch. Luke drew his hand away, not wanting to disturb him. He dropped his head back down onto the pillow and felt Din’s hands slide over his waist and pull him in close. His chest was warm and firm against his back. The blankets were thrown across their hips, scrunched up in odd patterns. The memory of the night before languidly replayed in the back of Luke’s mind.

The raw touches, moans, and pleasure. It stirred something in his stomach that sent hot spikes through his body. He tried to swallow them down, but Din’s fingers were twitching on the bare patch of skin below his stomach. Instead, he grabbed those fingers and intertwined them with his own, holding Din’s hand chastely against the mattress. His knuckles brushed where his hip met his thigh, and, despite it all, Luke’s breath caught in his throat.

He hoped, somehow, that Din hadn’t caught it, that he was still deep asleep, but Din was slowly awaking. Like he knew exactly how to get Luke going, he shifted so that his chin hooked over Luke’s shoulder, his hot breath spreading across Luke’s neck. He shivered, bit down hard on his bottom lip, and tried to stifle how flustered he was growing.

Din’s gravely morning voice mumbled something unintelligible right next to Luke’s ear. It was surprising, just enough that Luke had to breathe deeply for a moment before responding to keep his voice steady.

“Hm?” Din pressed his warm lips to the sensitive skin covering Luke’s collar bone. Luke leaned into the touch, his breath quivering again. Din smiled into his neck.

“Good morning,” he said, before pulling away entirely. He slid off of Luke, leaving him cold and needy. Luke, mind slowed from sleep, remained confused and still. A low chuckle came from behind him, then suddenly Luke was on his back and Din was straddling his middle. Luke’s eyes widened, a surprised bark of laughter bubbling up. “What? Did you think I was just going to leave you like this? Blushing and beautiful, and all mine?”

His fingers ran down Luke’s jaw, his neck, his chest, then settled on his hip. Luke froze underneath him, afraid that one move would render him unable to stop. Din leaned forward, his lips close to Luke’s.

“That would be a crime against nature, my dear.” He let Luke lift up to kiss him, slow and passionate. Sinful desire lingered just on the tips of their tongues. Luke trembled below Din, body warm to the touch.

“ _Please_ ,” he whispered, and Din almost lost himself to it. Would have, if someone hadn’t knocked on the door. Luke yelped and jumped away from Din’s wandering hands. Din groaned in frustration, but pulled himself away from Luke’s entirely.

“Can I- uh. Open the door? Or…” Han’s voiced trailed off.

“Uh, no!” Luke said, his voice raising an octave, and he made nervous eye contact with Din. Din slipped silently out of the bed and began to dress. “We’ll be out in a minute, Han.”

“Whatever you say. I just think you should see this.”

-

What Han thought Luke should see, was the planet they had been looking for. From space it looked fairly normal, towering tropical trees and dusty ground, except for when the surface shifted in ways that weren’t natural. There was a large dark spot that caught Luke’s attention.

“Welcome to Perditus.” Han opened his arms like a tour guide.

“What is that?” Luke asked.

“Not sure. A town maybe.” Luke didn’t have time to be worried about it.

“Is R2 around? How quickly can we get down there?”

“It might be tricky to land with all the trees, but R2 thinks we have space right there,” Han said, pointing down at the screen showing a close up of the planet.

“That will work,” Din said. “It’s an easy landing.”

“Oh yeah? What do you know about flying, metal man?” Han was raining an eyebrow at Din.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Din turned to look at him, posture stiffening.

“I don’t know Mando, I just think maybe you shouldn’t tell me how to fly my own ship.”

“Alright, sorry, I didn’t know you were so sensitive.”

“Hey, man, nothing wrong with being a little sensitive. Luke would know.” Han gestured vaguely in his direction.

“How did I get dragged into this?”

“Anyways,” Din butted in, annoyance in his tone. “I’m sure our great captain here can land easily.”

“Sure thing, I can. We’ll be wiggling our toes in the sand in no time.” Han grinned with all of his teeth.

Din left the room so it was just Han and Luke, and there was a lingering awkwardness in the air. Luke cleared his throat. Han crossed his arms and looked at him pointedly.

“So were you going to tell me you were gay? Or was I just supposed to find you going down on a dude and figure it out for myself?” Luke made a face, taken aback by the sudden change in conversation.

“I’m not…” Han raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t-“ Han snorted.

“Go on,” he said, smirking dreadfully. Luke sighed and gave in.

“I don’t know, Han. I haven’t really thought about it.”

“You’re dating a dude, but you haven’t thought about it?” He sounded skeptical, and, well, Luke couldn’t entirely blame him. But really, he just hadn’t thought about it. He liked Din, plain and simple.

“I don’t even know if we’re dating. It’s complicated, come on. It’s more than just… whether I’m gay or not.”

“But are you?” Luke rolled his eyes then leveled them at him in a glare.

“Does it matter?” He asked. Han shrugged.

“Not really, no.”

“Then can we leave it alone?”

“Fine, whatever. Just tell me stuff sometimes, okay? I’m still your best friend.”

“Aw, are you jealous?” Luke said, overly exaggerating his words in mock sympathy. Han punched him in the arm and he skittered away, cackling.

-

The Millennium Falcon crash landed on Perditus, ripping saplings out as it skidded to a halt. 

“Smooth as ice,” Han said and Din made a sound like a scoff. Luke would have done anything to see his face, but imagining it was enough to make him chuckle into his hand anyways.

“I’ve never heard of this planet before,” Din said as they walked. The pushed aside the thorny underbrush as they moved forward.

“Yeah, ‘cause we don’t ever mess with it. They pretty much mind their business here. Until now,” Han said.

The trees were tall and lanky and the air was hot with humid. The ground squelched under Luke's feet. It wasn’t like Dagobah, which was always a little misty and dark, and it wasn’t like Endor with the thick forest trees. It was tropical, sunny all the time. The air smelled faintly of sea salt, yet there was no ocean in sight. Just a lot of run off, like it rained a lot, and Luke supposed it did from the way the air hung thick around them.

The scenery shifted very abruptly, the sky-scraping trees ending sharply in a linethat diverged into cracked desert. The ground became reddish, dried clay that went on for miles. At the horizon line, the wavy image of _something_ hovered. It looked more like a collection of things than just one. It was what they had seen from above.

Overhead small droids zoomed back and forth, heading directly for the place.

“What are those things?” Luke asked.

“Resource droids. They’re collecting something. Probably wood from the looks of this place.”

“So either they’re expanding or they’re trading,” Din said.

“Not sure which of those is better,” Luke said.

The forest was weirdly empty. There were no chattering creature in the branches up above, or anything scuttling around in the underbrush. It was silent apart from their footsteps and the hum of the droids flying above them. It was unnerving to say the least. 

They reached the place when it was nearing nightfall. It seemed deserted, not a single sign of life anywhere. Abandoned huts were scattered about, some larger than others, and signs hung from doorways that said things like ‘cantina’ or ‘market’. Maybe once the place had been bustling, but now it was a ghost town.

Past the houses was a large open field covered in dark, dead grass. It felt important, and they approached it warily. Something about the place was giving Luke a bad feeling, urging him to turn away and run. Then, Luke’s eyes focused and there was someone standing there, someone Luke could recognize from a mile away.

Leia was in the middle of the open field. Luke’s breathing stopped when he saw her. Something was wrong, something was so terribly off, but Luke couldn’t pin point what at a distance. She appeared to be fine, she was standing on her own, but her shoulders were hunched just barely. Her clothes rippled in the night breeze. Luke took a few steps forward, but Han put a hand on his shoulder.

“Are you sure?” There was a fierceness in Luke’s eyes. He didn’t reply, just shrugged his hand off and bolted. He reached her first. Her arms were tied behind her back, her feet cuffed, and there was a gag tied around her mouth. Her eyes moved sluggishly to his face and slowly focused. She jolted upon recognizing him. He pulled the cloth down, freeing her mouth. Her head wobbled on her shoulders. She looked at him like she didn’t quite recognize him.

“No,” she said, then her words scrambled together. Luke cupped her cheek, trying to hold her head upright.

“What?” He asked. She murmured something unintelligible in response. Something moved behind him. He could tell immediately from the way they walked it wasn’t Han or Din. He swirled around, his cloak billowing out around him. A sharp metal fencing had shot from the ground to circle the outcropping, caging him in and barring Din and Han from getting to him. He was alone. He reached for his lightsaber, tugged it out and turned it on. The light played sharply on his jaw line.

Movement in his peripheral. His eyes darted around in the fading light, searching for the source, or _sources_. He felt their presence behind him, a tugging in his gut, but he wasn’t fast enough to avoid the hands that clasped down on his wrists like a vice. His lightsaber dropped from his grip, fingers unable to clasp it anymore, like he had lost control over them.

Leia was calling out for him and Din was shouting, there were rough hands pinning him down and his mind was failing him. It was like a part of him had just shut off, and he didn’t realize why until he felt something prick into his wrist and understood that he was being drugged- that Leia probably had been also. He had been too distracted and adrenaline pumped to register it before. It was a trap.

Somewhere in the flurry of images his brain could hardly make sense of, Din landed nearby, his jet pack shutting off with a click. There wasn’t enough time to save all of them, even out of his mind Luke knew that.

“Get her out of here,” he shouted. Din hesitated and Luke could feel the terrible desperation emanating off of him. He didn’t really hear him say ‘no’ but knew he did anyways. “Din. _Please_ , take her.”

And there must have been something in his voice, some subtle seriousness that Din read in between the lines of and understood everything Luke hadn’t said. With a flush of hot air Din was gone and Luke was left dizzy and useless in the hands of enemies he knew nothing about. At least Leia was out, and hopefully, so was her baby.

Din’s despair was so strong that even delusional and on the brink of unconsciousness, it washed over Luke. He cried out, writhing in the hands that held him firmly. The full body ache that settled in his bones would stay with him even in his fever dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really like this chapter, but I was having serious writers block so please bear with me on this one! Next one will hopefully be better :)


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